TRANSPORT

Aviation: Noise

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the appropriateness of charges made by the Civil Aviation Authority to re-license planes which have had silencers fitted; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The approval of silencers for civil aircraft is in most cases the responsibility of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). For aircraft not covered by EASA, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would only become involved where they have not previously approved the modification to the aircraft type. In those cases the CAA will need to investigate the proposed modification as part of the approval process. The applicant will be charged for modification investigation in accordance with the CAA's published Airworthiness Scheme of Charges. The CAA charging schemes are reviewed annually in consultation with the Secretary of State for Transport.

Dartford Tunnel: Mobile Phones

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department plans to make mobile telephone coverage available in the Dartford Tunnel.

Chris Mole: Mobile phone coverage is already available in both bores of the Dartford tunnel.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of time spent by vehicles waiting to cross the Dartford Crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: A study commissioned by the Department for Transport in 2008 aggregated the delays for 2007 and converted them into a monetary sum using published values of time. This calculated the cost of delay at the Dartford Crossing at around £40 million per annum. The initial results of the study can be found at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/capacityrequirements/dartfordrivercrossing
	The aggregate dwell time at the toll facilities is used to match flows to the capacity of the northbound tunnels.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken by a vehicle to cross the Dartford Crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Between M25 junction 2 and M25 junction 30, which includes the Dartford Crossing the average journey northbound is 10 minutes 11 seconds and 11 minutes 40 seconds southbound. The data used are from August 1 to August 24 2009.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on waiting times for vehicles at the Dartford Crossing.

Chris Mole: In the six months from 1 April to 30 September 2009, the Department for Transport has received 69 items of ministerial correspondence specifically categorised as being about congestion and delays at the Dartford Crossing.
	In addition, the Highways Agency has dealt itself with a further 40 e-mails, 23 letters and 76 telephone calls from members of the public.

Lorries: Safety

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the number of unsafe heavy goods vehicles on UK roads which are registered overseas; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce this number.

Paul Clark: holding answer 16 October 2009
	Foreign-registered vehicles represent around 3.5 per cent. of all heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic on Britain's roads. In 2008-09, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) checked 61,000 foreign-registered HGVs and found roadworthiness related concerns with 40 per cent. of them. This compares with 64,800 spot checks on UK registered HGVs where 32.6 per cent. were found to have roadworthiness related concerns.
	The Government have introduced a number of measures to tackle non-compliance with the regulations. We have made an additional £24 million available to VOSA over a three-year period from 2008 to enable them to carry out more enforcement checks on HGVs on international journeys.
	We have also introduced a new scheme to allow the police and VOSA to take on the spot financial deposits from offending drivers with no satisfactory address in the United Kingdom. In the first three months of operation, almost £700,000 has been collected from such drivers.
	In addition, VOSA routinely informs the authorities of other EU member states about offences involving their commercial vehicle drivers.

Manchester-Burnley Railway Line

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress has been made in reinstating the Todmorden Curve; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that work.

Chris Mole: Burnley borough council has commissioned Network Rail to carry out a study for the chord (and any other infrastructure changes required) which is due for completion by the end of the year. The study will confirm the expected capital cost, which is currently estimated at £5 million.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Brian Iddon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on proposed amendments to the vehicle lighting and construction regulations, which closed on 9 October 2008;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of making retro-reflective markings mandatory on all newly-registered heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes; and what methodology was used to make that estimate;
	(3)  what representations his Department has received from the road haulage industry on the introduction of mandatory retro-reflective markings on newly-registered heavy goods vehicles;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the economic effects on manufacturers and fitters of retro-reflective markings of his Department's decision to postpone making such markings mandatory for all newly-registered heavy goods vehicles.

Paul Clark: A summary of the responses to the consultation will be published at the same time as the statutory instrument amending the lighting regulations so as to provide (among other things) for the new retro-reflective marking requirements. This is expected to be before the end of the year.
	The methodology used to estimate the cost of mandatory conspicuity markings is contained in the impact assessment that accompanied the consultation. This is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2008/regulationsamendments/
	The cost to fit tape to a new vehicle was estimated at between £186 and £388 per vehicle depending on whether simple line marking or full contour marking is used. A seven year life span was assumed, after which the markings would need to be replaced. The total number of new vehicles to be fitted with markings was estimated at 35,821 per year. Using these figures the average cost to fit markings on new vehicles was estimated at approximately £8.8 million per year. Taking into account the additional replacement costs after seven years the estimated annual cost over twelve years was between £16 and £17 million per year depending on the implementation strategy.
	Both the Road Haulage Association and Freight Transport Association (FTA) responded to the original consultation. There has also been regular contact between Department for Transport officials and the FTA to discuss how the regulations would be implemented and to answer technical queries.
	No detailed analysis of the effect on tape manufacturers and fitters of postponing conspicuity marking tape requirements has been carried out. They will, as now, be free to market their products in the period leading up to the mandatory requirement for marking tape in 2011.

Railways: Freight

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Pending the publication of the National Networks National Policy Statement draft for consultation, the Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Rail Freight Interchange Policy remains Department for Transport policy guidance.
	A short policy statement on Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges is also contained in the recent Department publication "Strategic Rail Freight Network: The longer term vision".

Rivers: Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many incidences of  (a) marine,  (b) oil and  (c) other pollution have been recorded in UK waters in each year since 1990 from shipping registered in (i) the UK, (ii) the EU and (iii) other countries; what steps were taken to clean up in each case; what costs were incurred and what fines were levied in each case; by whom these were paid; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Details of incidences of marine pollution being released from ships in the UK pollution control zone are given in annual reports produced by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea. Reports for the years 2001 through to 2007 are available on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website at:
	http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergency response/mcga-pollutionresponse/mcga-dops_cp_ environmental-counter-pollution.htm
	The information with regard to the port of registry of the ships is not contained in the Committee's annual report. This information is not available.
	Comprehensive clean-up costs information is not held centrally.

PRIME MINISTER

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implications for the NATO mission in Afghanistan of the government of Canada's decision to withdraw combat forces in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 14 October 2009,  Official Report, column 313.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

William Hague: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has received a request to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry.

Gordon Brown: The Iraq inquiry will make announcements in due course about the hearings it will conduct and which witnesses will appear. In the event serving Ministers or Government officials are called, the Government reiterate their commitment to co-operate fully with the inquiry.

USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Prime Minister which Ministers have visited the United States on official business in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Internet: Registration

Nick Hurd: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Commission has made representations to Nominet on the registration of the Red Rag website domain name using a House of Commons address.

Nick Harvey: No.

Members: European Travel Scheme

Brian Jenkins: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many claims were made by hon. Members under the European travel scheme in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The answer is as follows. Figures prior to 2005-06 are not available.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of claims 
			 2008-09 209 
			 2007-08 207 
			 2006-07 210 
			 2005-06 181

SCOTLAND

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of procurement contracts his Department awarded to small businesses in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08,  (c) 2008-09 and  (d) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not record the information in the format requested. The Office endeavours to utilise existing contracts of other Government Departments whenever possible.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for civil servants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not separately record expenditure on first class rail travel. All rail travel is undertaken by the most efficient and cost-effective way, in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) Blackberrys and  (c) laptop computers were issued to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many of these were issued to (i) new staff and (ii) existing staff following the (A) loss or (B) theft of a previous device.

Dan Norris: Details on the specific devices are as follows:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009- 10 to date 
			 Mobile Handsets Issued 809 364 219 185 59 
			 Mobile Handsets Lost or Stolen 4 4 0 0 3 
			 BlackBerry Handsets Issued 65 128 194 311 104 
			 BlackBerry Handsets Lost or Stolen 1 8 5 12 5 
			 Average number of Laptops on Estate 2,069 2,069 2,069 6,129 7,688 
			 Laptops Lost or Stolen 18 22 13 20 12 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for mobile handsets and BlackBerry devices issued are taken from purchase records and will not include devices issued that have been reused. 2. Figures for lost/stolen Blackberry handsets also include PDAs. 3. DEFRA reporting standards do not record losses and thefts separately nor is information available on whether losses were definitely replaced. 4. Figures for lost and stolen devices reported between 2005-06 and 2007-08 represent core-DEFRA, Animal Health, Natural England and Veterinary Laboratories Agency. From 2008-09 onwards the figure above represents core-DEFRA only. 5. Computers/laptops are paid for via a managed service which is charged for on a usage basis. DEFRA monitors the total volume of kit on the estate (which consists of a user base made up of the core-Department and several agencies/NDPBs) on a monthly basis to calculate charges, rather than how many devices are issued or replaced over time. 6. DEFRA has invested in encryption technology in the laptop and BlackBerry services for all new issues. Over 95 per cent. of the current devices are encrypted. 7. The total PC/laptop kit has reduced overall within DEFRA. The increase in laptop volumes above is due to 'single device' policy that has removed a significant number of desktop PCs in exchange for one corporate laptop per user in order to drive up environmental and mobile working benefits.

Farmers: Nitrates

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the farming industry on the identification of areas where the requirements placed on farmers to comply with nitrates legislation exceed the minimum requirements of the Nitrates Directive.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA introduced the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 in accordance with the Nitrates Directive 91/676/EEC following extensive consultation during 2007-08.
	In addition to the formal consultation, DEFRA officials met representatives of the farming industry on numerous occasions to discuss the Action Programme measures. These represent what DEFRA considers to be the best way of fulfilling our obligations under the nitrates directive, while maintaining a sustainable agricultural industry. The measures were developed to reflect good agricultural practice and are based on best available science. My ministerial colleagues and I also frequently discuss the implementation of the nitrates directive when we meet farmers.

Holiday Accommodation: Taxation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with HM Treasury Ministers on the effect of the abolition of furnished holiday lettings tax relief on the rural economy.

Dan Norris: Ministers and officials have discussions on a wide range of issues as part of the process of policy development.
	Government will publish an impact assessment at pre-Budget report 2009 alongside draft legislation.

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether there are plans to change the responsibilities of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding conservation issues in UK Overseas Territories;
	(2)  what progress has been made by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in developing a coherent strategy to manage biodiversity and promote conservation in the UK Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much funding will be made available for the Overseas Territories Challenge Fund as part of the United Kingdom Government's Darwin Initiative in the next 12 months;
	(4)  how much funding the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean have received under the Darwin Initiative scheme in each year since 2005;
	(5)  how much funding the UK Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic have received under the Darwin Initiative scheme in each year since 2005;
	(6)  what recent measures have been taken to achieve a co-ordinated approach to environmental protection across Government departments in relation to the  (a) UK Overseas Territories and  (b) Crown Dependencies.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are no plans to change the responsibilities regarding conservation issues in the UK's Overseas Territories.
	The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) was commissioned by the Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on biodiversity (IDMGb) to draft a Government Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. This was done with the express intention of improving the effectiveness of co-ordination of the UK Government's support for biodiversity in the Overseas Territories. The strategy was announced at a reception on Collaboration on Environmental and Biodiversity Issues in the Overseas Territories, hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) at the end of June.
	The strategy, which is shortly to be published, establishes, inter alia, a partnership of the three participating Government Departments, with JNCC providing the secretariat. The Strategy also establishes that my Department will co-ordinate the work of the partnership with the FCO and the Department for International Development (DFID).
	In addition, an Interdepartmental Group on Biodiversity in the Overseas Territories has been established following agreement of the strategy. This group, comprising the same member Departments as the IDMGb, met for the first time on 29 September and established its key principles and terms of reference, one of which will be to co-ordinate to best effect UK Government support for biodiversity in the Overseas Territories.
	Turning to the Darwin Initiative's new Overseas Territories Challenge Fund, I announced the establishment of this fund in June. It is intended to pay for up to 10 projects relating to biodiversity in the Overseas Territories, each costing up to £25,000. These will be comparable to existing Darwin scoping projects, aiming towards main-round projects, but for longer periods and involving some initial implementation work. The cost of Challenge Fund payments will come from a sum of up to £1.5 million, which I announced at the same event will be earmarked within the Darwin Initiative this year for Overseas Territories projects.
	In terms of specific figures provided under the Darwin Initiative for projects in the Caribbean and South Atlantic Overseas Territories, these are as follows:
	For the Caribbean Overseas Territories, since 2005, the figures are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 151,218 
			 2006-07 156,378 
			 2007-08 65,602 
			 2008-09 31,227 
			 2009-10 188,294 
		
	
	For the South Atlantic Overseas Territories, since 2005, the figures are:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 71,294 
			 2006-07 39,389 
			 2007-08 52,077 
			 2008-09 5,000 
			 2009-10 27,856

Retail Trade: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of rural parishes without a general store in each year since 1997.

Dan Norris: The Secretary of State has made no estimate of the number of rural parishes without a general store.

Retail Trade: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) newsagents,  (b) fishmongers,  (c) bakers and  (d) butchers that have closed in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of food shops that have closed in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997.

Dan Norris: DEFRA does not collect data on the numbers of different types of shops in urban and rural areas. However, the following table shows the number and rate of insolvencies in the retail industry nationally and in rural and urban areas between 2003 and 2009. 2003 is the earliest year for which DEFRA has data.
	
		
			   Total number of retail insolvencies  Rate per 1,000 businesses 
			   Rural  Urban  England  Rural  Urban  England 
			 2003 212 1,325 1,537 1.0 1.4 1.3 
			 2004 183 1,352 1,535 0.8 1.3 1.2 
			 2005 267 1,613 1,880 0.9 1.3 1.2 
			 2006 276 1,889 2,165 0.8 1.3 1.2 
			 2007 319 1,875 2,194 0.9 1.2 1.2 
			 2008 464 2,506 2,970 1.2 1.6 1.5 
			 2009(1) 285 1,584 1,869 1.5 1.9 1.8 
			 (1)2009 data are for Q1 and Q2 (January to June) only.   Notes:  1. Figures refer to average annual rates of insolvencies per 1,000 businesses.  2. Rural-urban definition is applied to the postal address of where business is registered.   Source:  pH Group 2009. 
		
	
	The rate of insolvencies in rural areas has been consistently lower than the national average since 2003.

Rights of Way

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many panel inquiries have been adjourned for consideration of evidence submitted outside the time limits set in the Rights of Way (Hearing and Inquiries Procedure) (England) Rules 2007; and what the reasons for granting the adjournment were in each case.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested regarding public inquiries is unavailable as it is not recorded by the Planning Inspectorate or published in its year-end statistics.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Criminal Damages Compensation 1997

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for compensation under the Criminal Damages (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) 1977 Order have been made in each of the last five years; and how many such applications were certified by the Chief Constable.

Paul Goggins: The following table sets out the number of applications for Criminal Damage received and the number certified with a Chief Constable's Certificate within the last five years.
	
		
			   Number of claims received  Number certified by chief constable 
			 2004-05 935 83 
			 2005-06 1,248 250 
			 2006-07 896 53 
			 2007-08 666 40 
			 2008-09 756 19 
			 2009-10 (to date) 457 5 
			 Total 4,958 450

Libya

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures of cooperation and training with Libya involving  (a) Police Service of Northern Ireland officers and staff and  (b) any other departments or agencies for which he is responsible he has authorised in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: All requests made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for international assistance must be approved by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, and then the Secretary of State, under section 8 of the Police (NI) Act 2000. I have provided one authorisation within my area of responsibility in the last 12 months involving co-operation and training to Libya. This related to an approval under Section 8 for a serving member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to provide training to the Libyan Police. This approval followed a request from the National Police Improvement Agency for the assistance of the PSNI, and in response to the Northern Ireland Policing Board who supported this request. The assistance involved the delivery of three weeks tactical command training in January 2009 as part of a Foreign and Commonwealth Office sponsored programme of work designed to help Libya meet their human rights obligations by fostering policing techniques that meet international standards.

Northern Ireland Independent Monitoring Board

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce a code of practice for the Independent Monitoring Board.

Paul Goggins: A code of conduct for the Independent Monitoring Board was agreed by the Council of Independent Monitoring Boards in Northern Ireland on 26 November 2008.

Northern Ireland Independent Monitoring Board

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to assist self-employed people to participate fully in the operation of the Independent Monitoring Board.

Paul Goggins: Vacancies on Independent Monitoring Boards are publicly advertised to encourage anyone who is interested in serving as a member of the IMB on a voluntary basis, regardless of employment status, to consider applying where they can give the required time commitment.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of military equipment British forces in Afghanistan have  (a) borrowed from and  (b) lent to other coalition forces.

Bob Ainsworth: As part of a 42 country coalition in Afghanistan, the United Kingdom has agreements in place with the majority of members. These agreements include the capability to loan and borrow equipment. I am withholding the details of these activities as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other participating states.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) armoured personnel carriers and  (b) tanks have been deployed in Afghanistan in each month since January 2006.

Bill Rammell: There have been no tanks deployed in Afghanistan. I am withholding the information about the number of armoured personnel carriers deployed in Afghanistan as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy personnel have been stationed in Afghanistan in the last 18 months.

Bill Rammell: The number of UK service personnel in Afghanistan fluctuates on a daily basis but as at 1 October 2009, approximately 5,030 Royal Naval personnel have been identified as having deployed to Afghanistan in the last 18 months.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel have been stationed in Afghanistan in the last 18 months.

Bill Rammell: The number of UK service personnel in Afghanistan fluctuates on a daily basis but as at 1 October 2009, approximately 7,870 Royal Air Force personnel have been identified as having deployed to Afghanistan in the last 18 months.

Armed Forces: Christmas Deliveries

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure Christmas deliveries to members of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence will be making all possible efforts to ensure deliveries of Christmas mail to members of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan. Additional aircraft will be chartered as necessary to transport mail to theatre and there will be increased resources dedicated to mail movement within Afghanistan.
	We also have plans to mitigate the impact of any industrial action by the Communications Workers Union; however, prolonged industrial action will inevitably impact on mail deliveries to armed forces.
	We are also doing all we can to channel the public's generosity away from unsolicited parcels which have the ability to overload the system and cause delays for mail from families.

Armed Forces: Food

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of  (a) all food,  (b) beef and  (c) lamb supplied to UK forces based in (i) the UK, (ii) Germany, (iii) Iraq and (iv) Afghanistan was sourced from UK producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held in the format requested. However, a report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments, and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service, was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report, and the first one covering the previous year, can be found at the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm
	Overall, the proportion of domestically produced food procured by MOD has increased from 43 per cent. in 2006-07 to 59 per cent. in 2007-08.
	The third report of this nature will be published in November 2009, and will demonstrate the work being undertaken to find opportunities to source British products, while working within the legal framework governing public procurement.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service families have been placed by Modern Housing Solutions in  (a) Premier Travel Inns and  (b) other hotels in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: For information related to 2005 to June 2007, the hon. Member is referred to the answer given by my predecessor on 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1246W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).
	Information on the number of service families placed in Premier Travel Inns or other hotels between July 2007 and today is not held centrally. I will therefore write to the hon. Member with the information requested once it has been collated.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of service families' accommodation was deemed uninhabitable in each year since 2004.

Kevan Jones: We do not use the term 'uninhabitable'. Sometimes properties are unable to be occupied for various reasons including demolition or major refurbishment. Our records do not separately identify such properties from other unoccupied Service Family Accommodation (SFA).
	All currently occupied SFA is recorded as being of a habitable standard.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on substitute services accommodation in each year since 2004.

Kevan Jones: The Department is required to accommodate entitled service personnel within 10 miles of their duty station (or 20 miles with permission of their Service Commander). When no Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is available within this area, service families may be offered Substitute SFA (SSFA), which personnel are entitled to retain for the duration of their tour, to avoid disruption to family life.
	Substitute Single Service Accommodation (SSSA) is granted to entitled single personnel when Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is not available at or close to their duty station.
	The amount spent on SSFA and SSSA in each year since 2004 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   SSSA  SSFA  Total 
			 2004 32.9 11.0 43.9 
			 2005 36.8 13.0 49.8 
			 2006 40.5 15.0 55.5 
			 2007 44.5 14.6 59.1 
			 2008 50.9 17.4 68.3 
			 2009 (to date) 44.0 17.0 61.0

Armed Forces: Postal Services

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the British Forces Postal System; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The information was published in Defence Internal Brief, Serial 2009DIB/37 dated 6 October 2009, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Rehabilitation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on rehabilitation for wounded soldiers in each of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: The Defence Medical Services manage a widespread armed forces rehabilitation network that has some 180 Primary Care Rehabilitation Facilities and 15 Regional Rehabilitation Units (RRUs) as well as the flagship Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey. Patients from all the armed services requiring rehabilitation are treated at the facility and location that is most appropriate.
	The annual running costs of Headley Court are approximately £13.5 million. Responsibility for the individual management of the primary care and RRU facilities is shared between the single service commands, with oversight from the Joint Medical Command. However, each service funds its respective RRUs differently. Owing to the number of different internal budgets to which costs would be attributable, any detailed analysis of local rehabilitation expenditure would therefore incur disproportionate costs.
	Where an individual requires specialist rehabilitation services or equipment that can best be provided by a non-MOD organisation (such as some aspects of neurological rehabilitation and specialised prosthetics) this will be arranged at additional cost. In the financial year 2008-09, about £1.6 million was spent on such services by the Joint Medical Command.

Colombia: Military Aid

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department has refused to provide assistance to any  (a) individuals and  (b) units of the Colombian security forces on human rights grounds in the last five years;
	(2)  which official in his Department is responsible for monitoring the human rights performance of members of the Colombian security forces who have received training or other assistance from the United Kingdom.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 October 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) on 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 621W, to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington).

Colombia: Military Aid

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Colombian security forces personnel have received United Kingdom counter-narcotics assistance in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 October 2009
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 14 January 2009,  Official Report, column 737W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon).

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK units are deployed as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus; which units will replace them on the next rotation; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The 27 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps are currently deployed as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. They will be replaced, in April 2010, by a Territorial Army unit from 2 Division and 40 Signal Regiment. Based on current plans, the units will rotate every six months between Regular units and Territorial Army units.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength is of the UK contingent in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) in Cyprus; what the cost was of the UK UNFICYP contingent in the latest year for which figures are available; and how much of that cost is to be reimbursed from each source of reimbursement.

Kevan Jones: As at 16 October 2009 there were 288 personnel deployed on Operation TOSCA, the UK contribution to UNFICYP. The cost for this deployment in the financial year 2008-09 was £16 million; charged to the tri-departmental (FCO, MOD and DfiD) peacekeeping budget, of which we expect around £2.5 million will be reimbursed by the United Nations.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the refurbishment of the Ledra Palace to provide better accommodation to the UK United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus contingent; who paid for that work; what the cost of that work has been; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The renovation and refurbishment of the Ledra Palace Hotel continues as part of an agreed three year programme between 2007 and 2010 between the Republic of Cyprus and the UN. All work on the external fabric of the building is complete providing a watertight structure. All roofs have now been repaired and/or replaced, the fire detection and alarm systems have been installed, asbestos removal in the boiler rooms and cellars is complete, the floor covering in the gymnasium has been replaced and the ration store refurbished. The recommissioning of rooms in the west wing is complete and a total of 35 rooms have been handed over to the UN Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP). In addition to this the renovation of the Ledra Palace Hotel Medical Centre is nearing completion.
	There is no direct cost to the UK for this work. The work is being carried out by the Republic of Cyprus in an arrangement with the United Nations and we do not have visibility of the associated costs.

Cyprus: Armed Forces

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen are stationed at the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Bill Rammell: As at 1 September 2009 there were 2,550 UK service personnel stationed in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.
	This figure has been rounded to the nearest 50 in order to provide a meaningful level of detail as there are constant service personnel movements in and out of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

Cyprus: Military Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fixed wing aircraft of each type are stationed at the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Bill Rammell: There are no fixed wing aircraft stationed in the British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus. RAF Akrotiri does however routinely support movements of fixed wing assets through Akrotiri as part of its role as a forward mounting base for current operations.

Departmental Manpower

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed on a  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time basis at each of his Department's bases in Scotland

Kevan Jones: Validated figures below the local authority level have not been compiled and can not be supplied without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The table shows the number of civilian personnel in Scotland as at 1 July 2009, broken down by local authority, and full and part-time status.
	
		
			  Headcount 
			   Total  Full-time  Part-time 
			 Scotland 5,980 5,500 480 
			 Aberdeen City 80 80 (1)- 
			 Aberdeenshire 30 30 (1)- 
			 Angus 60 50 (1)- 
			 Argyll and Bute 1,700 1,620 90 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 50 50 (1)- 
			 Dundee City 30 30 - 
			 Edinburgh, City of 450 410 40 
			 Eilean Siar (1)- (1)- - 
			 Falkirk (1)- (1)- - 
			 Fife 750 710 40 
			 Glasgow City 1,090 950 130 
			 Highland 90 80 (1)- 
			 Inverclyde 30 30 (1)- 
			 Midlothian 40 30 (1)- 
			 Moray 670 600 70 
			 North Ayrshire 340 320 10 
			 Perth and Kinross 20 20 (1)- 
			 Renfrewshire 10 10 (1)- 
			 Scottish Borders (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 Shetland Islands (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 South Ayrshire 40 40 (1)- 
			 South Lanarkshire (1)- (1)- - 
			 Stirling 340 280 50 
			 West Dunbartonshire 120 120 (1)- 
			 West Lothian (1)- (1)- - 
			 (1) Denotes frequency of five or less.  Notes: 1. Table includes all civilian personnel employed in MOD Core TLBs and trading funds. Figures exclude RFAs and LECs for which location data are not held centrally. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Because of rounding, totals may not always equal to the sum of the parts.  Source: DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of military personnel (UK regular forces) in Scotland as at 1 July 2009, broken down by local/unitary authority. UK regular forces includes all trained and untrained personnel. Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists are excluded.
	
		
			  UK regular forces 
			   Number 
			 Scotland 11,950 
			 Aberdeen City 20 
			 Aberdeenshire 20 
			 Angus 900 
			 Argyll and Bute 2,980 
			 Clackmannanshire - 
			 Dumfries and Galloway - 
			 Dundee City 40 
			 East Ayrshire - 
			 East Dunbartonshire - 
			 East Lothian - 
			 East Renfrewshire - 
			 Edinburgh, City of 1,550 
			 Eilean Siar 10 
			 Falkirk - 
			 Fife 1,460 
			 Glasgow City 560 
			 Highland 620 
			 Inverclyde - 
			 Midlothian 480 
			 Moray 3,100 
			 North Ayrshire - 
			 North Lanarkshire - 
			 Orkney Islands - 
			 Perth and Kinross 10 
			 Renfrewshire - 
			 Scottish Borders - 
			 Shetland Islands - 
			 South Ayrshire 90 
			 South Lanarkshire - 
			 Stirling 60 
			 West Dunbartonshire - 
			 West Lothian -

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The majority, approximately 95 per cent., of MOD's contracts with supplier companies are managed through the MOD's central contract processes. When a new contract is placed under this system, a commercial officer is required to identify whether the company is a small and medium enterprise (SME). Within the contracts system, an SME is defined as a company with less than 250 employees. The MOD central contracts database shows the percentages of new contracts let where the company has been identified as an SME. This information is provided as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage of procurement contracts awarded to SME 
			 2006-07 46 
			 2007-08 46 
			 2008-09 48 
			 2009-10(1) 46 
			 (1) Six months. 
		
	
	Contracts for which the SME information is incomplete have been excluded, and this currently comprises approximately 4 per cent. of contracts let.
	The Ministry of Defence is working with the Office of Government Commerce and other Departments to implement the recommendations of the Glover report in regard to increasing SME participation in public procurement.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The information requested for 2006-07 and 2007-08 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. With the introduction of the Defence Travel (DT) in 2008, however, visibility of rail bookings can now be captured. Rail booking is processed through an online booking tool or offline through a Travel Management Company, Hogg Robinson Group (HRG). The spend for FY 2008-09 on 1st class travel through DT was £6.497 million. This figure does not include rail warrants (which were not withdrawn until 30 April 2009) or short notice travellers paying at ticket offices and reclaiming the cost.
	The entitlement to first class travel is laid down in Joint Service Publication 800, Defence Movements and Transportation Regulations. The class of rail travel in UK Mainland is based on rank or, for civil servants, grade. Officers and civil servants who are Lt Cdr, Major, Sqn Ldr, pay band C2 and above are entitled to first class travel at public expense. This includes acting rank. Standard class passengers travelling with entitled officers for essential duty reasons may also travel first class.

Elizabeth Cross

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Elizabeth Crosses have been awarded to families of service personnel;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of recommendations for the award of the Elizabeth Cross to be made in the next nine months.

Kevan Jones: Since August this year, a total of 292 Queen Elizabeth Crosses and Memorial Scrolls have been issued to the eligible Next Of Kin (NOK) of deceased service personnel who have died on operations, or as a result of an act of terrorism since 1 January 1948. A further 406 awards have been prepared for presentation to eligible NOK at organised events.
	It is estimated that there are currently 8,000 eligible NOK, although it is not possible for the Ministry of Defence to determine how many retrospective or future recommendations for the award of the Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll will be made within the next nine months.

Falkland Islands: Military Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fixed wing aircraft of each type are stationed in the Falkland Islands.

Bill Rammell: The following fixed wing aircraft types and numbers are currently based at Mount Pleasant Airfield in the Falklands:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Typhoon 4 
			 Hercules C-130 1 
			 VC10 1

Indian Ocean: Military Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what fixed-wing Royal Air Force aircraft are deployed in the Indian Ocean.

Bill Rammell: There are no UK fixed wing aircraft stationed in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Israel: Military Aid

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings have taken place between senior members of the UK armed forces and representatives of the Israeli Defence Force; what the purpose of each meeting was; and who attended each meeting.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 October 2009
	There has been one such meeting: the Chief of the Defence Staff visited Israel in Sep 09. He met with his Israeli counterpart Gen Ashkenazi and other senior members of the Israeli military. He also went to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and met with senior Palestinians including the Minister of the Interior and the President's Chief of Staff. The purpose of his visit was in support of the middle east peace process.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to recruit, train and retain pilots for  (a) Merlin and  (b) Chinook helicopters.

Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 430W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 589-90W, on military aircraft, what plans his Department has to meet the required pilot strength in the Merlin and Chinook forces.

Bill Rammell: Required and actual strengths will both vary with time due to many factors including operational requirements, the introduction of newly trained crew on completion of training courses at set times during the year, the number of trained personnel assigned to non-flying duties (as part of the necessary broader career development), injuries, and service leavers. The helicopter fleet is managed to ensure that our operational and other commitments are met.
	The RAF and Royal Navy are recruiting and training sufficient personnel to ensure that the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) rotary wing training pipeline is fully stocked with trainee pilots for both Merlin and Chinook forces.

Military Aircraft: Northern Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what fixed-wing Royal Air Force aircraft are stationed in Northern Ireland.

Bill Rammell: Two Grob Vigilant Tl aircraft operated by 664 Volunteer Gliding Squadron at Newtownards airfield are the only Royal Air Force fixed-wing aircraft stationed in Northern Ireland.

Military Decorations: Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on medals for service personnel in each of the last 10 years.

Kevan Jones: Figures are only available for the last four years since the separate services medal offices joined to become the Ministry of Defence Medal Office.
	The actual cost of purchasing medals is provided in the table.
	
		
			   Cost of medals (£ million) 
			 2005-06 2.35 
			 2006-07 2.49 
			 2007-08 1.73 
			 2008-09 1.58

Military Decorations: Fife

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans' badges have been issued to residents of  (a) Fife and  (b) North East Fife constituency; and how many of those were awarded to widows or widowers of former service personnel.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the format that identifies how many veterans' badges have been issued to residents of Fife and North East Fife constituency and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We have, however, identified that a total of 3,415 veterans' badges have been issued to residents who have included Fife as part of their address.

Navy: Festivals and Special Occasions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department was of hosting Navy Days 2009; how many people visited each event; and which Ministers from his Department were present at each event.

Kevan Jones: The Navy Days 2009 event was held at HM Naval Base Devonport over two days on 5 and 6 September 2009. As the final accounts have yet to be ratified, the exact cost for hosting the event is not yet available. The indicative expenditure is, however, approximately £300,000 with a marginal surplus generated as income through, for example, ticket sales, brochure sales, advertising and sponsorship. As such, the event ran at zero net cost to the Department.
	Based on advance ticket sales and those purchased at the gate, in excess of 20,000 people attended the event over the two days. Both my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces and I were invited. Unfortunately, however, neither of us were able to attend.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, whether the Government has made any representations to the government of Nepal as a result of the investigation.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 October 2009
	The UK Ministry of Defence has written to the Nepalese Defence Minister informing Nepal of the conclusion of the investigation.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, what concerns prompted the establishment of the inquiry into the gifting of two helicopters to the Royal Nepal Army in 2002.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 October 2009
	Concerns over the airworthiness of the aircraft were raised by the Royal Nepalese Army during servicing of one of the aircraft. These concerns prompted the investigation into the procurement of the two aircraft and the use of UK Government funds.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, what the cost to the public purse was of each helicopter gifted to the Royal Nepal Army; and what the purchase price of a new model M1-17 helicopter was at the time the gift was made.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 October 2009
	The total cost for the two gifted helicopters was £2.5 million, £1.25 million per aircraft.
	Information on the purchase price of a new helicopter at the time the gift was made is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the advisers are to his Department's interim storage of laid-up submarines (ISOLUS) programme; for what reason  (a) Dr. Jane Hunt and  (b) Dr. Bill Thompson are no longer advisers to the programme; how many participants in the programme have left it since the departure of Dr. Hunt and Dr. Thompson; and how much is being spent on the ISOLUS programme in 2009-10.

Bill Rammell: The Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP-formerly the ISOLUS project) Advisory Group provides independent scrutiny and advice to the MOD on SDP activities and plans. There are 25 non-MOD members, who represent a range of organisations, covering inter alia industry, academia, regulatory bodies and non-governmental organisations.
	A full list of the members of the SDP Advisory Group can be found on the SDP website:
	http://www.submarinedismantling.co.uk/ConsultationIAG.html
	Drs. Hunt and Thompson were employed under a contract to Lancaster university to provide communications support to the project. On the expiry of that contract in March 2009, a new contractor was employed following an open competition. Lancaster university did not bid for that contract. Following a subsequent review of the group's membership, it was assessed by the MOD that the two individuals' skills were duplicated elsewhere within the group. It was therefore decided that their continued membership was not necessary and, as members' attendance is funded by the MOD, did not represent good value for taxpayers' money.
	Since the departure of Drs. Hunt and Thompson in August 2009, two other members of the group have tendered their resignations.
	The current forecast spend on SDP in financial year 2009-10 is £3.9 million.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Bob Ainsworth: None of the Ministry of Defence's Executive, Advisory or Independent Monitoring Board non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to any of the political party conferences in 2009.

Royal Regiment of Scotland: Manpower

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) trained,  (b) actual strength and  (c) numbers fit for duty requirement is for each (i) regular and (ii) territorial infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Bill Rammell: Infantry manning deficits have been reduced markedly and the situation continues to improve fast due to a number of factors including the introduction of exceptional action measures, financial incentives, improved marketing and the current economic situation. However, the strength of individual battalions will tend to fluctuate naturally over time, according to their planned duties.
	"Trained Requirement" has been interpreted as the maximum number of trained posts in a battalion's peace time configuration.
	"Actual strength" has been interpreted as the number of personnel assigned to a battalion for its planned duties. It will also include augmentees who are temporarily assigned if needed to support the role of the battalion, for operational military tasks and events that cannot be achieved within required strengths. Similarly, the figures exclude those assigned out of the battalion to augment other units.
	"Fit for duty" has been interpreted as fit for primary role, including personnel listed as having limited deploy ability, plus personnel who are unfit for deployment but who can perform a role in an alternative capacity. The difference between the actual strength and number fit for duty represents those who are medically non-effective and therefore unfit for any form of duty.
	As at 1 October 2009, the figures for Royal Regiment of Scotland regular battalions are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Battalion  Trained  r equirement  Actual s trength  Scots 
			 1 Scots 630 556 554 
			 2 Scots 627 518 515 
			 3 Scots 630 625 614 
			 4 Scots 686 584 583 
			 5 Scots 650 542 540 
		
	
	As at 1 October 2009, the figures for Royal Regiment of Scotland Territorial Army battalions are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Battalion  Trained  r equirement  Actual s trength  SCOTS 
			 6 SCOTS 430 270 n/a 
			 7 SCOTS 500 360 n/a 
			 n/a = not available. 
		
	
	Data concerning fit for duty personnel are not collected for the Territorial Army.

Service Complaints Commissioner

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to the location of offices of the Service Complaints Commissioner for the Armed Forces in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The Service Complaints Commissioner has been in her independent external office (Victoria Street, London, SWl) since July 2008. We have secured an additional office within that building to accommodate recent increases in support staff and equipment.

Somalia: Armed Conflict

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British military assistance has been provided for operations in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK armed forces have provided a colonel to the UN political office in Somalia, which is attempting to co-ordinate international policy towards Somalia, and in so doing works closely with Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which directly supports the stand up of the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu.
	We are working comprehensively with other Whitehall Departments on a broad Somalia strategy. In line with this, we are providing training and support to Uganda and Burundi who are providing troops for AMISOM, and are working to build the capability of the Somaliland Coastguard. We are also engaged with international partners, including through the international Contact Group on piracy off the coast of Somalia, to deliver regional capability building projects.
	Furthermore, we are currently at the forefront of three international counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia: the EU Operation Atalanta; the NATO Operation Ocean Shield; and the coalition Combined Task Force 151.

Territorial Army: Medals

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reduce the requirement for members of the Territorial Army to have qualified for bounty from nine out of 10 years to eight out of 10 years for applications for the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal.

Bill Rammell: There are currently no plans to amend the eligibility criteria for the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal. To receive this award, reserve forces men and women, regardless of rank, must be certified efficient, as required by their obligatory training commitment defined in individual service regulations.

Trident

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of  (a) the cost and  (b) the length of time it would take to decommission Trident and its facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: When nuclear submarines leave the naval service, they will be subject to a process known as Defuel, De-equip and Lay-up Preparation, which will involve spent nuclear materials being removed for storage at Sellafield, and any remaining irradiated material being secured within the reactor compartment. In line with current practice for other submarines now leaving service, the submarines themselves will then be stored afloat at either Devonport or Rosyth, pending final disposal.
	The submarines will then be dismantled, a process that will take approximately 12 months. The current budget for this process (known as the Submarine Dismantling Project) is some £1.5 billion. This covers the dismantling of 27 nuclear submarines from HMS Dreadnought through to HMS Vengeance, the 4th boat in the current nuclear deterrent fleet. At present costs of decommissioning cannot be broken down by class.
	Faslane and other facilities associated with the submarine flotilla will remain in service to support the future deterrent and the Astute class submarine. There are no plans for decommissioning these facilities.

Type 42 Destroyers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what official visits he has made to Type 42 destroyers in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: None.

JUSTICE

Counter-Terrorism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of implementation of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on British counter-terrorism policy.

Michael Wills: The Government support the International Convention and believe that it will have an important role in preventing enforced disappearance and secret detention in the future. The UK played an active part in the negotiations prior to the drafting of the convention and supported its adoption in 2008 at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.
	The UK is prepared to give its signature to treaties only when it has a clear intention to ratify within a reasonable timescale. The Government are conscious of the potentially significant impact of the convention in the domestic context, and we are therefore continuing our detailed assessment of the provisions of the convention and their effect across all areas of UK law and policy.
	In particular, we are analysing the extent to which common law provisions may need to be replicated in statute law; whether any new criminal offences would need to be introduced; and whether the UK would enter any reservations or declarations on ratification.
	Ratification will require primary legislation to facilitate changes to domestic law and the introduction of such primary legislation will depend on securing parliamentary time. The complexity of the issues still under consideration means that we are not setting a deadline for completion of our analysis, but work is being progressed as rapidly as possible.

Departmental Dismissal

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff have  (a) been dismissed and  (b) had their contract terminated by his Department in each of the last five years; what the primary reason was in each case; and what the severance costs in relation to (i) dismissal and (ii) contract termination were in each such year.

Jack Straw: The number of staff dismissed and who have had their contracts terminated over the last five years together with the reason for dismissal is shown in the following table. The figures given over this period represent the Ministry of Justice (from May 2007) and its predecessor organisations.
	
		
			  Reason for dismissal  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Dismissal for inefficiency during probation 33 48 49 10 11 
			 Dismissal on disciplinary grounds 143 173 224 318 186 
			 Dismissal for inefficiency 212 235 263 227 322 
			 End of conditional appointment (failed pre-employment checks) 0 0 0 2 3 
			 End of fixed term contract 199 886 673 701 641 
			 Voluntary early severance on compulsory terms 2 6 27 81 36 
			 Voluntary early severance on flexible terms 0 0 5 39 0 
			 Grand total 589 1,348 1,241 1,378 1,199 
		
	
	The number of dismissals as a proportion of the Ministry's work force (based on headcount) is 1.73 per cent. for 2007-08 and 1.48 per cent. for 2008-09.
	The costs associated with these dismissals and contract terminations are not recorded centrally. In the last five years, there have been no compulsory redundancies. The severance costs related to voluntary early departures (as a result of re-organisations and restructurings) are not distinguishable from the costs of other types of dismissal, for example, compromise agreements. A manual check of each individual file would need to be undertaken to establish these figures, and this would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the primary purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice reward schemes exist to provide employees with remuneration relevant to their work. These schemes cover:
	Basic pay (and allowances where appropriate);
	Non-consolidated performance pay; and
	Flexible benefits.
	Arrangements for basic and non-consolidated performance pay for senior civil servants (SCS) are based on recommendations made by the Independent Senior Salaries Review Body. Reward arrangements for grades below the SCS are delegated to Departments. In the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) there are separate reward schemes in place for staff in grades below the SCS working in National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the rest of the Ministry.
	 Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS)
	The following table provides details of the cost of administering basic pay, allowances and non-consolidated performance pay schemes and the number of staff participating in them. The costs cover the period where there has been machinery of Government changes. The costs are associated with the Department of Constitutional Affairs from 1 April 2004 to 30 April 2007 and the Ministry of Justice since May 2007.
	
		
			   Staff participating  Cost of operating the reward system (£) 
			 2008-09 27,808 2,668,900 
			 2007-08 27,581 2,553,465 
			 2006-07 28,163 3,429,364 
			 2005-06 24,309 3,116,358 
			 2004-05 12,687 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available.  Notes: 1. The data for 2004-05 reflects staff employed (and subject to the pay award) by the former DCA prior to the Magistrates Courts Service (MCS) becoming part of the DCA on 1 April 2005. 2. The increase in 2005 reflects the increase subsequent to the merger with the Magistrates Courts Service and the machinery of government changes which led to the establishment of the Tribunals Service on 1 April 2006. 3. Totals include all SCS staff subject to pay determination by the MOJ including sister Departments. Payroll services for basic and non-consolidated performance pay and allowances is provided by an outsourced payroll provider. 
		
	
	Flexible benefits schemes enable staff to exercise a degree of choice in respect of the way they are rewarded within the limits of their overall reward package. The following table contains information about participation in these arrangements in the MOJ since the schemes introduction in 2007.
	
		
			  Scheme  Number of Staff who have participated in this since its introduction in 2007 
			 Salary Sacrifice Scheme for Childcare Vouchers 504 
			 Salary Sacrifice Scheme for bicycles and cycles safety equipment 78 
			 Voluntary Benefits 9,060 
			 Buying and Selling Annual Leave 1,173 
		
	
	The non-payroll costs for the administration associated with the schemes above since their introduction in 2007 is £210,000.
	 The National Offender Management Agency (NOMS)
	Details of the number of staff participating in the NOMS reward arrangements are contained in the following table.
	
		
			   Staff participating( 1) 
			 2008-09 52,956 
			 2007-08 51,239 
			 2006-07 49,571 
			 2005-06 48,874 
			 2004-05 48,848 
			 (1) Data relates to staff employed in HM Prison Service. Staff employed by the national probation service are paid by their local probation board. 
		
	
	The NOMS Agency also offers the following flexible benefits:
	Work Life Balance working patterns;
	Salary Sacrifice scheme for Childcare; and
	Season ticket and bicycle loan schemes
	The cost of administration of the pay and reward arrangements for NOMS over the last five years are not centrally recorded. The information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: At present the size (number of people) and status of businesses is not information that is captured as standard when contracts are awarded to suppliers. To obtain the relevant information would incur disproportionate cost.

Injunctions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect  (a) whistleblowers and  (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the implications of the Court of Appeal judgment in May 2009 in the case of Michael Napier and Irwin Mitchell  v. Pressdram Limited in respect of press freedom to report proceedings in court.

Jack Straw: The issues raised by this and other similar cases are important and deserve to be properly explored. I intend to look into the issues raised and am ready to discuss them with my hon. Friend and any other hon. Member concerned. A meeting with representatives of the national press, senior officials of my Ministry has already been arranged.

Injunctions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms HM Courts Service uses to draw up rosters of duty judges for the purpose of considering time of the essence applications for the issuing of injunctions by the High Court.

Jack Straw: All High Court judges are required to act from time to time as duty judges for the purpose of dealing with urgent court business, such as applications to issue injunctions. Separate rosters are maintained for the Chancery, Family and Queens Bench Divisions but in each case these provide for a High Court judge being available to deal with such matters for 24 hours a day and on every day of the year.

Lancaster Farms Young Offender Institution

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to  (a) market test and  (b) contract out HM Young Offender Institution Lancaster Farms in the next 12 months.

Maria Eagle: There are currently no plans either to market test, or to contract out HM Young Offenders Institution Lancaster Farms.

Magistrates Courts: Working Hours

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which magistrate courts are planned to  (a) close and  (b) reduce their sitting hours in the next two years.

Bridget Prentice: On 13 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 24-25WS, my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice made a written ministerial statement to the House announcing the launch of 20 consultation exercises for magistrates courts closures. These courts are underutilised and in many cases their facilities for court users, including victims and witnesses, are inadequate. The Lord Chancellor will make a decision whether to close a court after considering the responses to consultations.
	HMCS regularly reviews the use and condition of its estate. Where there is an underutilised court and alternative facilities within a reasonable travelling distance we will consider holding consultations to seek views; on whether to close a court.
	HMCS must keep the level of magistrates courts sitting commensurate to the amount of work-local management decisions, involving local judiciary, including magistrates, and staff will be taken regularly to ensure that that is the case.

Prison Accommodation

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison cells have been built in England and Wales in each year since 1997; and at what cost in each such year.

Jack Straw: We do not record capacity provision by the number of cells built (which can be single or double cells) but rather by prison places.
	The following table shows the number of new prison places built since 1997 and the average capital building cost per place, including ancillary costs.
	
		
			   Number of places( 1)  Average capital building cost per place( 2) 
			 1997-98 4,716 60,000 
			 1998-99 1,222 67,000 
			 1999-2000 1,646 65,000 
			 2000-01 640 61,000 
			 2001-02 920 79,000 
			 2002-03 1,780 57,000 
			 2003-04 1,376 77,000 
			 2004-05 2,570 100,000 
			 2005-06 940 119,000 
			 2006-07 180 150,000 
			 2007-08 2,111 152,000 
			 2008-09 1,882 142,000 
			 (1) The number of new places does not take into account any places provided through crowding, or any places that have been taken out of use.  (2) The costs shown only cover the capital building costs of each new place. No adjustment has been made for inflation.

Probation: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Probation Service staff there were in each probation area in the north-west in each of the last five years; and what the ratio of offenders to Probation Service staff was in each case.

Jack Straw: Over the five-year period, funding for Probation across England and Wales has increased overall by 32.2 per cent., with the number of qualified probation officers increasing by 4.4 per cent. In the north-west region, funding has increased by 16.2 per cent., with the number of qualified probation officers increasing by 4.3 per cent. The total number of staff in each probation area in the north-west region is shown in the following table, together with the ratio to offenders.
	
		
			  Ratio of offenders to probation staff in the north-west 
			  Staff in post figures shown as full time equivalents 
			2004( 1)  2005( 1)  2006( 1)  2007( 1)  2008( 2) 
			 Cheshire Staff in post(3) 346 376 379 366 368 
			  Ratio-offenders:staff(4) 8.0:1 8.7:1 9.9:1 10.2:1 10.5:1 
			
			 Cumbria Staff in post(3) 173 190 198 196 176 
			  Ratio-offenders:staff(4) 11.1:1 9.9:1 9.5:1 10.9:1 12.2:1 
			
			 Greater Manchester Staff in post(3) 1,306 1,341 1,411 1,270 1,284 
			  Ratio-offenders:staff(4) 11.0:1 11.2:1 11.5:1 13.1:1 12.6:1 
			
			 Lancashire Staff in post(3) 602 578 565 563 556 
			  Ratio-offenders:staff(4) 10.1:1 11.1:1 12.6:1 13.6:1 13.7.1 
			
			 Merseyside Staff in post(3) 777 784 754 715 719 
			  Ratio-offenders:staff(4) 11.9:1 13.1:1 13.8:1 13.3:1 12.9:1 
			 (1) Figures as at 31 December. (2) Figures as at September 2008; the latest date for which there are corresponding Staffing and Offender figures. (3) Includes all staff employed within the area/region. (4) Calculated against all staff employed within the area/region.

Secure Accommodation: Young Offenders

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which secure facilities young people who had previously been detained at Orchard Lodge Secure Children's Home were moved when that facility was closed in July 2009.

Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) announced its intention to stop contracting for places at Orchard Lodge Secure Children's Home on 26 March 2009. Between March and July, the YJB did not place any young people at the home whose period of detention would have extended beyond July 2009 and almost all young people at the home were either released or moved to other establishments as part of their sentence plan. The only young person remaining at Orchard Lodge at the time of its closure was transferred to the enhanced Carlford Unit at Warren Hill Young Offenders Institution on 31 July.

Sentencing

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many of those people who received indeterminate public protection sentences and who have passed their tariff date have been released;
	(2)  how many indeterminate public protection sentences have been handed down in each year since they were introduced.

Maria Eagle: Prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection can only be considered for release once they have completed the minimum period imposed by the court for punishment and deterrence (the tariff). There is nothing automatic about release once the tariff has expired; an offender serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection will be released only when the independent Parole Board determines that the risk of harm which he presents may be safely managed in the community.
	The number of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection who had past tariff and were released on licence in each year since 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			  Year of release  Number released 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 12 
			 2008 33 
			 2009 31 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit database and the IPP database and, as with any large scale recording systems, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	The number of offenders received into prison establishments on indeterminate sentences of imprisonment for public protection since 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			  Year of sentence  Number sentenced 
			 2005 420 
			 2006 1,570 
			 2007 1,747 
			 2008 1,315 
		
	
	This table is an extract from tables 6.17 in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008, a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library and which can also be found at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anguilla: Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress made by Anguilla towards energy independence; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Responsibility for energy issues has been devolved to the Overseas Territory governments.
	The Government of Anguilla (GOA) advised us that their progress towards energy independence has so far included the following:
	Formal Establishment of the Anguilla National Energy Committee under the Department of Environment;
	A draft National Energy Policy has been verbally endorsed by the GO A. This is expected to be formalised by 1 December 2009;
	A renewable Energy Co-ordinator, supported by OTEP funding (Overseas Territories Environment Programme, a joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development fund), has been retained and is currently working to promote the goals of the Draft National Energy Policy;
	Funds have been raised through the GOA (EC$ 500,000) and OTEP (£100,000) for the establishment of the Anguilla Renewable Energy Office;
	A National Energy Committee covers high-level international consultancy, data collection and data analysis;
	A business plan has been developed for a special entity currently called RECorp which will establish and operate a first phase 2-3 megawatt wind farm under a power-purchase agreement with ANGLEC, Anguilla's sole electrical utility.

Anguilla: Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of Anguilla's energy production has been drawn from renewable sources in each year since 2004.

Chris Bryant: Less than 1 per cent. of Anguilla's energy production has been drawn from renewable sources in each year since 2004. This is primarily through solar panels and solar water heaters.

British Antarctic Territory: Climate Change

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the United Kingdom has given to assessment exercises of the effect of climate change on future levels of emperor penguin populations in the British Antarctic Territory.

Ivan Lewis: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have been using remote sensing satellite images to locate emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica. The colonies were identified by the reddish brown patches of guano left by the penguins on the ice, which are visible in satellite images.
	The survey identified a total of 38 colonies in Antarctica, 10 of which were new. As the low resolution of the satellite imagery did not allow any population assessment, BAS will conduct new research, part funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, using high resolution satellite imagery to look at the distribution of emperor penguin breeding colonies in the British Antarctic Territory (BAT).
	BAS are also collaborating with French, Australian and US colleagues to look at emperor penguin colonies elsewhere on the continent.

British Antarctic Territory: Polar Regions Unit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what projects are being undertaken by the British Antarctic Survey and the FCO Polar Regions Unit.

Chris Bryant: The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) undertakes a very wide variety of scientific projects in Antarctica, South Georgia and the Arctic. These projects are managed through the strategic science framework of the BAS called Polar Science for Planet Earth (PSPE). PSPE concentrates on key scientific questions of global or fundamental importance that can be best answered by research requiring access to the polar regions. It consists of six major programmes each consisting of several projects. The PSPE Programmes are: Climate, Chemistry and Past Climate, Ecosystems, Environmental Change and Evolution, Ice Sheets and Polar Oceans. Further details of PSPE, and the component research programmes and projects, can be found on the BAS website:
	www.antarctica.ac.uk/bas_research
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Polar Regions Unit also support a range of projects each year to underpin delivery of the strategic objectives of the British Antarctic Territory; these include projects which contribute to the environmental protection, education and outreach, heritage and governance of the Territory, and many of these are undertaken in partnership with BAS. The unit is also working with BAS and the Royal Geographical Society to develop a new educational website on the Arctic:
	www.discoverthearctic.org.uk.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conservation schemes operate in the British Indian Ocean Territory to protect low-lying vulnerable atolls from the effects of climate change.

Chris Bryant: All coral atolls in the Indian Ocean are suffering attrition due to coral mortality and sea level rise. The northern Chagos atolls have been monitored for the key coral components, especially those primarily responsible for providing a breakwater effect in shallow water.
	Coral atolls in the Chagos Islands fare much better than most because they do not face the additional stresses caused by human inhabitation (sewage discharges, shoreline development, dredging, etc). Observations have been made on erosion since 1996 in some areas.
	The Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP), a joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development fund totalling £1 million annually, funds projects in the Overseas Territories dealing with environment, biodiversity, energy, recycling, climate change adaption and mitigation, and sustainable development.
	The programme is currently contributing funding to a two-year project involving specialist scientists from elsewhere in the Indian Ocean, which will collect data on the condition of all atolls in the British Indian Ocean Territory, looking in particular at the effects of climate change on the reefs, with a view to informing and improving environmental management.

British Overseas Territories Conservation: Meetings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to meet representatives of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Conservation Forum in the next six months; and whether he has met them in the last six months.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not met representatives of the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum in the last six months and has no plans to do so in the next six months. However, I co-hosted a reception on 30 June 2009 with my ministerial colleagues from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for International Development for the British non-governmental organisation community involved in environmental protection work in the Overseas Territories at which we met members of the forum. In addition, my officials have regular meetings with members of the forum.

British Overseas Territories: Climate Change

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that the interests of the UK Overseas Territories are recognised at the forthcoming UN climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working in concert with the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the lead UK negotiating department on the forthcoming UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, to ensure that any commitments entered into at Copenhagen or subsequently will take into account the interests of the British Overseas Territories.

British Overseas Territories: Crown Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which  (a) Overseas Territories and  (b) Crown Dependencies are oil producers; and what their barrel production levels were in the latest year for which figures are available.

Chris Bryant: None of the British overseas territories is an oil producer. Information on the Crown dependencies is available from the Ministry of Justice which is responsible for the Crown dependencies.

British Overseas Territories: Environmental Charters

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are being taken to ensure that the commitments outlined in the 2001 Environmental Charters signed between the United Kingdom and the UK Overseas Territories are being met.

Chris Bryant: We are in touch with the Overseas Territories about progress against the commitments set out in the Charters, and to establish how much the Territories use and value the Charters. The Charters were raised with Territory leaders at the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (the annual meeting of UK Ministers and Territory leaders) in 2007 and there have been discussions since then by officials at working level. The Overseas Territories Environment Programme, funded jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, spends £1 million annually on projects in the Overseas Territories which are designed to help deliver the commitments in the Charters.
	Both the UK and the Overseas Territories feel that, while the Charters provide a useful framework, they are too generic and need to be tailored to meet the specific needs of each territory. We are therefore looking to revise the Charters to make them more focused on individual territory needs.

British Overseas Territories: Prisoners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) prison capacity and  (b) current jail population is in each of the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.

Chris Bryant: The latest figures available are:
	
		
			  Overseas territory  Certified normal accommodation  Current population 
			 Anguilla 35 58 
			 British Virgin Islands 98 120 
			 Cayman Islands 145 216 
			 Montserrat 52 15 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands (1)102 108 
			 (1 )Rising shortly to 150

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of accounts of a large number of graves of missing Greek Cypriot people having been found in a Turkish military zone site near Lapithos in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have received no official account but is aware of reports in the Cypriot press.

Cyprus: Turkey

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Turkey in the last 12 months on steps to secure a political settlement in Cyprus.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had frequent discussions with the Government of Turkey in the last 12 months on a Cyprus settlement, most recently with Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu on 25 September 2009.

Cyprus: Visits Abroad

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) visits to and  (b) meetings with Turkish Cypriots resident in the part of Cyprus governed by the Republic of Cyprus his Department has undertaken; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Our high commission in Nicosia regularly visits and meets with a number of interlocutors from across the island. It is not possible to quantify the number of meetings and visits nor the residency and ethnicity of those people met.

Gaza: United Nations Fact Finding Mission

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made any representations to the government of Israel consequent upon the report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 18 September 2009 and again on 14 October 2009. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Defence Minister Barak on 29 September 2009 and 13 October 2009.
	We have made clear that, while the Goldstone report has its flaws, there are serious allegations against both Hamas and Israel. Israel has undertaken a number of investigations. But we do not believe these have yet adequately addressed the concerns. We urge Israel to investigate allegations fully and credibly to ensure that there is full accountability for any breaches of the rule of law.

Greece: Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Greece on a political settlement in Cyprus in the last 12 months.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had frequent discussions with the Government of Greece in the last 12 months on a Cyprus settlement, most recently with the Greek Prime Minister on 14 October 2009.

Guinea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the Government of Guinea that the investigation into the violence which took place at an Opposition rally on 28 September 2009 will be independent and impartial; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The military-led Government in Guinea has offered to investigate the violence which took place at an opposition rally on 28 September 2009. However, the International Contact Group for Guinea, of which the UK is an active member, has recommended that any investigation needs to be independent, impartial and should be international in nature. We support this position and are consulting with the African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other international partners about how such an investigation might be taken forward.

Guinea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with members of the Africa Union on the situation in Guinea following the violence at an Opposition rally on 28 September 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have been in close touch with the African Union through the International Contact Group for Guinea, including at the Group's last meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on 12 October 2009. Officials will also be discussing the situation with the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. We will continue to work closely with our partners in the African Union and with the West African regional body, the Economic Community of Western African States, to support their efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the current tensions in Guinea.

Guinea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to monitor the political situation in Guinea following the violence at an Opposition rally on 28 September 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Our ambassador in Guinea is an active member of the International Contact Group on Guinea and has maintained a constant dialogue with EU and G8 partners on the ground in order to ensure the UK fully monitors the political situation in Guinea. Our ambassadors in the region are also in contact with President Chambas of the Economic Community of West African States and the Governments of Guinea's neighbours.

Iraq

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken in co-operation with the United States Administration to improve the security of civilians in Iraq.

Ivan Lewis: Following the end of Combat Operations in April 2009, the UK continues to provide training and assistance to all of Iraq's security forces in conjunction with allies and partners. In-country activity includes: providing forensic training to the Iraqi police service; contributing UK police officers to the EU's JUSTLEX rule of law project; providing military training to the Iraqi army through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) and we will also shortly recommence training and support to the Iraqi navy alongside US forces following the ratification of a UK-Iraq co-operation agreement. Activities in the UK include Iraqi attendance at a range of police and military training courses.

Iraq: Security

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Iraq.

Ivan Lewis: Recent attacks, including on 19 August 2009 in Baghdad and on 11 October 2009 in Ramadi, show that terrorist groups are still trying to undermine the significant progress made in Iraq over recent years. Nevertheless, the overall security in Iraq continues to improve as the capability of the Iraqi security forces grows. Importantly, the Iraqi people in provincial and Kurdish regional elections this year chose leaders who promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law over those who offer nothing but violence. January 2010's national election will provide further proof of this.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plan to take in response to the findings of the UN inquiry by Judge Goldstone into human rights abuses during the Gaza conflict.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 18 September 2009 and again on 14 October 2009. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Defence Minister Barak on 29 September 2009 and 13 October 2009.
	We have made clear that, while the Goldstone report has its flaws, there are serious allegations against both Hamas and Israel. Israel has undertaken a number of investigations. But we do not believe these have yet adequately addressed the concerns. We urge Israel to investigate allegations fully and credibly to ensure that there is full accountability for any breaches of the rule of law.

Northern Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Immovable Property Commission in providing a remedy for Greek Cypriots in respect of property in Northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Immovable Property Commission (IPC) was set up in 2005 in an attempt to provide a local remedy to the disputed ownership of properties in Cyprus. There are currently eight test cases under review in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), with the aim of identifying whether the IPC can be used as an effective local remedy. It is for the ECHR to decide whether the IPC offers an effective local remedy.

Northern Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of  (a) Greek Cypriots who have made a claim to the Immovable Property Commission in Northern Cyprus and  (b) cases which have been resolved by that commission with (i) exchange of property, (ii) restitution and (iii) compensation; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: According to figures recently released, over the past three years 422 applications have been made to the Immovable Property Commission (IPC). Of these, 75 cases have been resolved: two were resolved with compensation and exchange; four with compensation and restitution; one for restitution after a settlement; and the remainder with compensation.

Nothern Cyprus: Property

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to amend the advice on his Department's website concerning the purchase of property in Northern Cyprus to take account of recent judgments of the European Court of Justice; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Our travel advice warns of possible legal proceedings as a result of purchasing disputed properties in the north of Cyprus and strongly advises British citizens to take qualified and independent legal advice before purchasing such property. The Government's travel advice is constantly reviewed in light of changing events and will be updated as necessary.

Overseas Aid: Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the largest sum allocated by his Department to an overseas project to tackle domestic violence, specifying amounts, organisations and outcomes, was in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what plans he has for future spending on projects to tackle domestic violence overseas.

Chris Bryant: The Department for International Development leads on this issue globally and supports a range of initiatives aimed at tackling violence against women, including domestic violence, through its development assistance programmes. This has included work in Ghana and Sierra Leone supporting the implementation of new legislation on domestic violence; and in Nepal, providing technical assistance to the Prime Minister's Office on the National Campaign to end gender based violence.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has funded one related project on domestic violence overseas in the recent past. This was a three-year community policing project being run in Russia between 2006 and 2009 (at a cost of approximately £300,000) by the Global Opportunities Fund for Human Rights. The aim of the project was to train police officers on prevention of community and domestic violence, working with Justices of the Peace, Non-Governmental Organisations and relevant municipal organisations, to reduce domestic violence.
	The FCO's Human Rights and Democracy Strategic Programme Fund supports projects on equality, including tackling the structural and institutional roots of gender discrimination through effective implementation of international law, but we do not have dedicated funds for tackling domestic violence and sexual abuse overseas.

South Atlantic Invasive Species Project

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there are plans to extend the South Atlantic Invasive Species project beyond December 2009.

Ivan Lewis: The South Atlantic Invasive Species project is funded by the EU through European Development Funds. We are not aware of the EU's plans to fund the project beyond December 2009.

St. Helena: Electricity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2009,  Official Report, column 522W, on St. Helena: wind power, what targets have been set to meet St. Helena's electricity needs through wind power.

Chris Bryant: The wind power programme on St. Helena is the responsibility of St. Helena Government. St. Helena currently generates 25 MWh (3-4 per cent. of the total energy consumption) through wind power and has projected wind generation of 70 MWh (10 per cent. of consumption) per month from April 2010 when it is anticipated that all six turbines on St. Helena will be in operation.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of constitutional developments in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 9WS.

UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in assessing the potential impact of ratification of the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on UK law; when he expects the assessment to be completed; and if he will introduce primary legislation to permit the UK to ratify the Convention.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government support the International Convention and believe that it will have an important role in preventing enforced disappearance and secret detention in the future. The UK played an active part in the negotiations prior to the drafting of the convention and supported its adoption in 2008 at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.
	The UK is prepared to give its signature to treaties only when it has a clear intention to ratify within a reasonable timescale. The Government are conscious of the potentially significant impact of the convention in the domestic context, and we are therefore continuing our detailed assessment of the provisions of the convention and their effect across all areas of UK law and policy.
	In particular, we are analysing the extent to which common law provisions may need to be replicated in statute law; whether any new criminal offences would need to be introduced; and whether the UK would enter any reservations or declarations on ratification.
	Ratification will require primary legislation to facilitate changes to domestic law and the introduction of such primary legislation will depend on securing parliamentary time. The complexity of the issues still under consideration means that we are not setting a deadline for completion of our analysis, but work is being progressed as rapidly as possible.

UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; and what the reasons are for the time taken.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government support the International Convention and believes that it will have an important role in preventing enforced disappearance and secret detention in the future. The UK played an active part in the negotiations prior to the drafting of the Convention and supported its adoption in 2008 at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.
	The UK is prepared to give its signature to treaties only when it has a clear intention to ratify within a reasonable timescale. The Government are conscious of the potentially significant impact of the Convention in the domestic context, and we are therefore continuing our detailed assessment of the provisions of the Convention and their effect across all areas of UK law and policy.
	In particular, we are analysing the extent to which common law provisions may need to be replicated in statute law; whether any new criminal offences would need to be introduced; and whether the UK would enter any reservations or declarations on ratification.
	Ratification will require primary legislation to facilitate changes to domestic law and the introduction of such primary legislation will depend on securing parliamentary time. The complexity of the issues still under consideration means that we are not setting a deadline for completion of our analysis, but work is being progressed as rapidly as possible.

USA: Nuclear Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US administration on the international threat of nuclear proliferation.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discusses nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regularly with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and did so most recently on 11 October 2009. Mrs. Clinton said after that meeting that British leadership had been pivotal in the run up to the historic UN Security Council session on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament chaired by President Barack Obama. The Council unanimously adopted UN resolution 1887 that affirmed its commitment to work toward a world without nuclear weapons.

Varosha

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Turkish Cypriot claim to property rights in Varosha, as asserted by the land-holding foundation EFKAF; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Government have made no such assessment.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Crime: Northumberland

Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) crimes and  (b) violent crimes were reported in (i) Blyth Valley and (ii) Northumberland in the last four years.

Alan Campbell: The available information is given in the following table.
	A number of changes have been made to recorded crime in response to suggestions in the two reviews of crime statistics. One such change is that the term 'violent crime' is no longer used and we now provide figures for violence against the person.
	
		
			  Table 3 Offences recorded by the police in Blyth Valley and Northumberland: 2005-06 to 2008-09 
			   Number of offences 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Area and offence 
			 Blyth Valley local authority area 1,011 1,268 882 964 
			 Violence against the person 5,637 5,913 5,112 4,977 
			 Total recorded crime 
			  
			  Northumberland Basic Command Unit 
			 Violence against the person 3,490 4.159 2,951 3,193 
			 Total recorded crime 18,935 19,735 16,341 16,461

Human Trafficking: Greater London

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Metropolitan Police Service on the future of its specialist unit to combat trafficking in human beings; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The deployment of resources and staff is a matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
	Human trafficking is core police business and, as such, work to combat this crime should be mainstreamed into existing budgets.
	The Government provide additional funding of £435,000 to the Metropolitan Police for the current financial year to enable them to do so in line with other forces in England and Wales. This was done on the basis that such work would be funded from within their existing budget from the financial year 2010-11.

Human Trafficking: Greater London

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether additional resources will be available for the Metropolitan Police to counteract any trafficking in human beings associated with the number of tourists expected to attend the London 2012 Olympics.

Alan Campbell: Human trafficking is core police business and as such should be resourced from within existing budgets.
	Intelligence on human trafficking is assessed on a quarterly basis as part of the Olympics Organised Crime Threat Assessment. While intelligence does not suggest that there is any increase in human trafficking linked to the Olympics at the moment we remain vigilant. To this end the Clubs and Vice Unit of the Metropolitan police is working over the next three years to disrupt prostitution and recover victims, including victims of trafficking in the five Olympic boroughs.
	Should the intelligence indicate an increase in trafficking we shall ensure that the appropriate measures are in place.

Police: Ethnic Groups

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) officers and  (b) senior officers in the West Midlands police service are from ethnic minorities.

David Hanson: Data on the number of minority ethnic officers in West Midlands police service broken down by rank, as at 31 March 2009, are provided in the following table.
	This and other related data are published annually as part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
	http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Minority ethnic officer strength in West Midlands police force, by rank, as at 31 March 2009, full-time equivalent 
			   Number 
			 ACPO rank 1 
			 Chief Superintendent 0 
			 Superintendent 5 
			 Chief Inspector 4 
			 Inspector 29 
			 Sergeant 74 
			 Constable 550 
			 Total 663

Rape: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of rape were reported in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum,  (c) Hertfordshire and  (d) England and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many of them resulted in (i) a prosecution and (ii) a conviction.

Alan Campbell: Information is not available in the form requested as it is not possible to track individual offences through to their outcome at court. The available information relates to the number of offences of rape recorded by the police in the last five financial years. Prosecutions and convictions data are based on the number of offenders and has been provided by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.
	Table 1 gives the number of offences of rape recorded by the police in Dacorum, Hertfordshire and England and Wales. Data for Hemel Hempstead are not available. Table 2 provides data on the number of defendants proceeded against and convicted for all rape offences for Hertfordshire and England and Wales. Data for Hemel Hempstead and Dacorum are not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of rape recorded in the Dacorum crime and disorder reduction partnership area, Hertfordshire police force area and England and Wales 
			  Financial year  Dacorum  Hertfordshire  England and Wales 
			 2004-05 20 184 14,013 
			 2005-06 22 211 14,443 
			 2006-07 28 199 13,774 
			 2007-08 21 172 12,639 
			 2008-09 19 132 13,133 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for rape and attempted rape offences, Hertfordshire police force area and England and Wales, 2003 to 2007( 1, 2) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			   Proceed against  Found guilty  Proceed against  Found guilty  Proceed against  Found guilty  Proceed against  Found guilty  Proceed against  Found guilty 
			 Hertfordshire police force area 38 10 55 13 51 8 57 8 25 12 
			 England and Wales 2,790 673 2,689 751 2,826 796 2,567 863 2,363 873 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Terrorism

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what attacks on the UK were known to have been  (a) planned and  (b) executed by terrorist groups linked to (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Pakistan in the last 10 years.

David Hanson: holding answer 15 October 2009
	The majority of significant UK attack plots in this decade have had considerable links abroad, with a substantial proportion of these terrorist attacks and threats being associated with al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and those groups and individuals affiliated to and influenced by them undoubtedly represent the greatest current terrorist threat to the UK. Al-Qaeda regards the UK as a key target, and as a potential source of recruits. As a result of international military action in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda has largely been forced out of its 'safe havens' and is now mainly based on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employers' Liability Insurance Policies

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations she has received on the mandatory arrangements for recording employers' liability insurance policies; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: We have received a range of representations on this issue including from hon. Members.
	While the vast majority of people can trace their employers' liability insurance policies easily, too many still find it very difficult.
	We are working closely with the insurance industry to improve the tracing of old policies so that those who need to access civil compensation are able to do so.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the population in  (a) the UK and  (b) Upminster constituency is claiming jobseeker's allowance.

Jim Knight: 4.2 per cent. of the working age population in Great Britain and 4 per cent. of the working age population in the Upminster parliamentary constituency is claiming jobseeker's allowance.

Departmental Contact Centre

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent assessment is of the performance of her Department's contact centre; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As of September 2009, the Department for Work and Pensions is currently responding to 99 per cent. of all customer calls to make new claims to working-age benefits with an average wait of 15 seconds for the call to be answered. This equates to over 637,000 customers helped by Jobcentre Plus Contact Centres in the last month alone.

Polygamous Marriages: Benefit Payments

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the number of people in polygamous marriages who are in receipt of income-related benefits payments.

Jim Knight: Information on the numbers of polygamous marriages within the benefits system is not collected at a national level. However, arrangements within the benefit system ensure there is no advantageous treatment for people in polygamous marriages.

Youth Unemployment

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government are taking to reduce youth unemployment.

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government are taking to reduce youth unemployment.

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she is taking to reduce unemployment among young people; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton).

Jobcentres

Mr. Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations her Department has received on standards of customer service at Jobcentres.

Jim Knight: Jobcentre Plus receives many representations from various organisations and customers on its standards of service, many of which are positive. Jobcentre Plus continually works with these groups to improve the service it delivers to customers and key partners.

Employment Schemes: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2137W, on employment schemes: disabled, under what circumstances disabled people not in work and not in receipt of jobseeker's allowance or employment and support allowance receive assistance from employment programmes; what her most recent estimate is of the number of disabled people who meet such criteria; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 14 October 2009
	The Department for Work and Pensions has not made such an estimate.

Employment: Sight Impaired

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment her Department has made of the effects of Braille literacy on the employment prospects of people who are visually impaired; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Work and Pensions has not undertaken such an assessment.

Research Report

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in each birth cohort, are modelled as having a payback of  (a) less than 0.5,  (b) between 0.5 and 1,  (c) between 1 and 1.5,  (d) between 1.5 and 2,  (e) between 2 and 2.5,  (f) between 2.5 and 3 and  (g) above 3 as shown in Figure 4.3 on page 55 of DWP Research Report number 558.

Angela Eagle: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of those saving into a defined contribution pension at any point after 2012, with an employer contribution, in each payback group, by birth cohort 
			   Payback (£)  
			   1  1-1.5  1.5-2  2-2.5  2.5-3  3  Total (million) 
			  Birth cohort ( Thousand )
			 Pre-1960 250 650 1,250 450 200 650 3.4 
			 1960-70 250 550 1,800 1,500 650 850 5.8 
			 1970-80 150 350 1,000 1,500 1,300 1,450 5.8 
			 1980-90 150 200 650 1,100 1,400 3,100 6.6 
			 1990-2000 150 150 500 950 1,200 3,800 6.8 
			  Note:  Population estimates are based on the modelled population and may be subject to sampling error. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 50,000.   Source:  Pensim2. 
		
	
	This table covers all individuals in these cohorts who save in any defined contribution pension with an employer contribution at any point after 2012. It is consistent with the payback figures presented in the report, Saving for retirement: Implications of pensions reforms on financial incentives to save for retirement, published in February this year. Overall, less than 5 per cent. are modelled as expecting a payback of less than 1.
	This table covers all cohorts who are expected to live out their lives before 2100, including many who will not enter the workforce and/or start saving until many years after 2012, and others who are already saving. As such, the figures should not be compared directly with new savers or those eligible for automatic enrolment in 2012.
	Those with payback of less than 0.5 have not been shown separately due to the small sample size of this group in the model; they make up approximately a quarter of the group with payback of less than 1.
	Please note that opt-out rates in the model are assigned randomly to employees, and do not take account of characteristics of individuals or how they might behave. The numbers in the lower payback groups may be over-estimated if those who go on to see high levels of benefit interactions are more likely to opt out. The figures are based on reasonable assumptions about the future as set out in Saving for retirement: Implications of pensions reforms on financial incentives to save.

Work Capability Assessments

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures are in place to ensure consistency in work capability assessments.

Jonathan R Shaw: All medical reports completed by Atos Healthcare, healthcare professionals who have successfully completed their training period are subject to 100 per cent. quality assessment before they are recommended for approval by the DWP Chief Medical Officer.
	In addition, medical reports completed by healthcare professionals undertaking disability benefit medial examinations on behalf of the DWP and other Government Departments are subject to a rigorous and comprehensive audit system. The Integrated Quality Audit Systems (IQAS) which constitutes randomly selected audits is based on a statistically valid and robust audit process which is undertaken on every Atos Healthcare, healthcare professional on a monthly basis. Any reports found to be deficient in the audit are corrected prior to them being returned to the Departments' decision makers.
	A healthcare professional's work can also be subjected to audit if it is found that any work is reported to be deficient on an opportunistic basis, for instance if the healthcare professional is subject to significant levels of customer complaints or the Department's Business Unit returns medical reports which are considered deficient by the decision maker.
	Full-time Atos Healthcare Medical Services healthcare professionals who have undertaken specific training in audit work carry out the audit. Where there is any cause for concern, proactive management intervention ensures that remedial action is taken promptly as appropriate.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cultural Heritage

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the annual financial contribution of the heritage sector to the economy.

Margaret Hodge: Heritage provides a vital contribution to the national economy and contributes to the success of a range of industries including tourism, retail, entertainment and construction. Although no aggregate figure is available, several studies of which English Heritage is aware have sought to identify the contribution within a particular context. In the north-west alone it is estimated that Heritage and its ancillaries contribute £1.6 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the economy.
	A Heritage Lottery Fund study of major projects they completed in 2007 estimates them to have created £33 million in local GVA and to support the equivalent of 1,277 full-time equivalent jobs. Tourism, one of the largest industries in the UK, was estimated to be worth approximately £86 billion in 2007. Evidence from VisitBritain shows England's historic buildings are key motivators for those considering a visit to the country and they also top the table of activities undertaken by those who actually do visit.
	Privately owned historic houses generate an economic contribution of over £1.6 billion; while England's cathedrals generate around £150 million per annum of benefits for the local and national economies.

Digital Broadcasting: Wales

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the time necessary to restore ITV channels to those homes no longer able to receive them as a result of the digital switchover in Wales;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to restore ITV channels to homes which lost them as a result of the digital switchover in Wales;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of homes that no longer receive ITV channels as a result of the digital switchover in Wales.

Si�n Simon: We believe that up to 1 million households could have been affected by the loss of ITV3 and ITV4 after the digital television retune. In some cases the services will be restored at digital switchover.
	There is a licence requirement that the three Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) digital multiplexes, which carry the public service broadcasting channels, should reach 98.5 per cent. of UK households after Digital Switchover. Since the national re-tune, ITV3 and ITV4, which are not PSB channels, have been carried on commercial multiplexes where the licence post-Switchover requirement is that 90 per cent. of household coverage is achieved. Any decision to build out beyond 90 per cent. coverage would be a commercial decision for the multiplex operators.

E-Legal Deposits

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of e-legal deposits which would have been made to date had the e-legal deposit regulations come into force in accordance with the original timetable; and when he expects the regulations to enter into force.

Margaret Hodge: The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 commenced on 1 February 2004. It was always the intention that the Act would be implemented progressively, as it is enabling legislation in a complex and challenging area. The Act made provision for the establishment of an advisory panel which was created in 2005. The panel produced its first set of recommendations in Autumn 2008, and a further set in spring 2009. Draft regulations which may result from those recommendations would be subject to full public consultation and to affirmative resolution in both Houses. I am working to ensure these matters are now expedited so that e-legal deposits are facilitated.

Historic Buildings: Conservation

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many buildings were  (a) added to and  (b) removed from the Buildings At Risk Register in each year since 2000.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 12 October 2009
	English Heritage has advised that the number of buildings added to and removed from the national Buildings At Risk Register in each year since 2000 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of buildings removed from Buildings at Risk Register  Number of buildings added to Buildings at Risk Register 
			 2008-09 69 64 
			 2007-08 57 69 
			 2006-07 88 52 
			 2005-06 94 68 
			 2004-05 91 58 
			 2003-04 94 66 
			 2002-03 114 98 
			 2001-02 114 94 
			 2000-01 109 102 
			 1999-2000 108 141 
		
	
	The national Buildings At Risk Register includes Grade I and II* listed buildings and structural scheduled monuments (structures rather than earthworks) at risk.

Holiday Accommodation: Taxation

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with Treasury colleagues on the effect of the abolition of furnished holiday lettings tax relief on the tourism industry.

Margaret Hodge: My predecessor, the hon. Member for Stevenage (Barbara Follett), raised this issue with Treasury colleagues and wrote to them setting out in detail the industry's concerns about these changes.
	The Department remains in discussion with Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about the impact of these rule changes on the tourism industry. HMRC will be publishing their assessment of this, together with draft legislation, at the same time that the pre-Budget report is issued.

ITV: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response he has made to ITV regarding the proposal on its entitlement to a portion of the revenue from the television licence fee; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Government are not aware that ITV has made a proposal on its entitlement to a portion of the revenue from the television licence fee.
	The Government have consulted on the sustainability of plurality of news in the Nations, locally and in the regions, and on the idea of using a small portion of the television licence fee, on a competitive basis, to support plurality of multi-media news provision. The consultation closed on 22 September; Government received 89 responses.
	The Government are considering those responses and will set out their views in due course.

Monuments: Preservation

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the state of preservation of war memorials.

Margaret Hodge: English Heritage advises Ministers on matters relating to England's historic built environment. Statutory protection is given to those war memorials which are, or form part of, a listed building or scheduled ancient monument. There are approximately 1,200 purpose built war memorials that are listed buildings.
	English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register contains only four designated war memorials considered to be at risk. In three cases, English Heritage is taking action in conjunction with the owners or the local authority to secure the preservation of the memorial in question and in the fourth case, the memorial is in local authority care.
	Of the four memorials, one has received grant aid from English Heritage and a second has been offered such assistance.
	English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register contains four designated war memorials at risk; three are listed buildings and the fourth is a Scheduled Monument.
	Of the three listed buildings, one is in local authority care (action under consideration), another is in private ownership (action in hand in association with local authority) and the third is in the care of a charitable trust (action in hand with grant-aid from English Heritage).
	The joint owners of the scheduled war memorial have been offered a grant for repair under the English Heritage/Wolf son Foundation grant scheme.
	 Listed b uildings
	1. In local authority care (action under consideration)-War memorial, Saltburn by Sea, Tees Valley. Grade 11*. Arts and Crafts style memorial to the dead of the Great War 1914-18 with bronze sculpture by Sir Willam Reynolds-Stephens. A community-based group is promoting a scheme for the restoration of the memorial and it's setting, in conjunction with the local authority. EH is to liaise with local authority over repairs proposals.
	2. In private ownership (action in hand in association with local authority)-Islington War Memorial Arch, Manor Gardens, London. Grade 11. Listed War memorial designed by Percy Adams, formally part of the Royal Northern Hospital. Repairs being carried out in discussion with local authority.
	3. In the care of a charitable trust (action in hand with grant-aid from English Heritage)-Thanksgiving Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Blackpool. Grade 11*. 20th century war memorial chapel. £70,560 offered in 2006 towards urgent repairs. Further work is envisaged. In the care of the Historic Chapels Trust (ongoing EH grant-aid).
	 Scheduled war memorial
	The joint owners of the scheduled war memorial have been offered a grant for repair under the English Heritage/Wolfson Foundation grant scheme-Montreal Park Obelisk, Riverhead, Kent. 18th century monument to the Canadian wars. £1,130 offered in 2007 towards repairs under the War Memorials Grant Scheme. This has not yet been taken up.

Tourism: Costs

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the travel and tourism industry on the effects of single person supplements on tourism.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 16 October 2009
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Office of Fair Trading have previously examined the question of single person supplements and concluded that wherever there was a reasonable economic case for such charges decisions on the charging of supplements are primarily matters for the industry.

Tourism: Marketing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Government spent on  (a) marketing Britain overseas and  (b) marketing England in the UK in (i) 1997, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS provides public funding to VisitBritain for promoting Britain as a tourist destination to overseas markets. VisitEngland receives public funding from within VisitBritain's allocation for promoting England as a tourist destination to the domestic market.
	The following table outlines the information requested:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Net expenditure on marketing  Domestic expenditure  Overseas  e xpenditure 
			 2006-07 28,913 10,428 18,485 
			 2007-08 32,093 12,907 19,186 
			 2008-09 31,846 10,084 21,762 
			  Source: VisitBritain 
		
	
	VisitBritain was created in 2003. It was formed out of a merger between the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourist Board. I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested for 1997 as soon as possible.

HEALTH

Arthritis

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of average waiting times for rheumatoid arthritis patients for follow-up consultations with a rheumatology specialist in  (a) Nottingham North constituency and  (b) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect waiting times data for follow-up consultations at specialty level.
	Data published by the Department looking on an all speciality basis show that the ratio of subsequent attendance (follow-up) to first out-patient appointment has remained broadly stable over the last three years at around two (subsequent attendances) to one (first out-patient appointment).
	 Source:
	Department of Health Monthly Activity Return (MAR) and Quarterly Activity Return (QAR)

Arthritis

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of regional variations in the availability of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the implementation of clinical guideline 79 issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for rheumatoid arthritis in each  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not made any specific assessment of regional variations in the availability of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) or on the implementation of clinical guideline 79 issued by NICE for rheumatoid arthritis in each strategic health authority and primary care trust. It is the responsibility of national health service bodies to implement NICE guidance and NICE publishes a number of implementation tools alongside its guidance to help facilitate this.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable has been set for increasing the level of payments made to haemophiliacs infected with HIV through contaminated blood products, as referred to in his Department's response to Lord Archer's report on Contaminated Blood and Blood Products; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The starting date for the increased level of payments has been set at 20 May 2009, the date on which the Government's response to Lord Archer's report was published. All payments will be backdated to that date.
	We are anxious that the new arrangements for the beneficiaries of the Macfarlane and Eileen trusts are carefully worked out in discussion with the trustees. Departmental officials are working with the trusts to that end.

Cancer: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free prescriptions for patients diagnosed with cancer in Tamworth constituency have been dispensed since the inception of the scheme; and at what cost.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.

Dementia: Drugs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the publication of the report by Professor Sube Banerjee on the use of anti-psychotic drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The review by Professor Sube Banerjee on the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs for people with dementia will be published in November.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what waiting time target his Department has set for a person to obtain an appointment at a dental practice which holds a contract to deliver NHS services.

Ann Keen: Managing appointments appropriately, and in a timely manner, is a matter for dental providers and primary care trusts.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department does not currently collect data centrally on the number of contracts awarded to small businesses.
	However, following the publication of the Glover report in November 2008, the Office of Government Commerce established its 'Access For All' programme in April 2009. This was developed to coordinate the implementation of the Glover Committee recommendations across Government and the public sector. One of the recommendations is that all Government Departments report annually on their contract spend with small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Department is fully committed to supporting this work.
	The Department is responsible for two agencies:
	NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA)-a snapshot of current contracts on 14 October 2009, shows that the ratio of SME awarded contracts against all NHS PASA awarded contracts is currently 31 per cent. Data for the years 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are not available broken down on an annual basis.
	Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)-MHRA does not currently collect data centrally on the number of contracts awarded to small businesses.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on first-class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.  [Official Report, 22 October 2009, Vol. 497, c. 7-8MC]

Phil Hope: The Department has spent the following on first-class travel.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 4,640,501.02 
			 2007-08 4,977,335.59 
			 2008-09 6,475,462.75 
		
	
	It should be noted that the above figures represent travel booked through the central booking system which constitutes the vast majority of how travel is booked and paid for.

Depressive Illnesses

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS is taking to improve clinical outcomes from treatment provided to patients diagnosed with  (a) major depression,  (b) atypical depression,  (c) psychotic depression,  (d) dysthymia and  (e) manic depression.

Phil Hope: Since 2001-02, total planned investment in adult mental health services has increased by 50 per cent. (£2.0 billion), putting in place the extra services and staff needed to transform mental health services. Nine consecutive years of increased spending by the national health service on mental health services has provided more staff, and increasing numbers of people with a severe mental illness are receiving treatment from community teams outside of hospital settings.
	Our significant investment in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT), will see annual funding rising to £173 million, 3,600 extra therapists trained and 900,000 more people treated by 2011. This investment in IAPT will help to add to the existing provision of psychological therapies, increase capacity, reduce waiting times and drive up quality standards.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) expects to issue revised guidance on treating depression later this year. NICE issued guidance on treating bipolar disorder in 2006, which indicates evidence-based approaches to treatment and covers psychological as well as drug treatments for these conditions. General practitioners and consultant psychiatrists are expected to take NICE guidance fully into account when deciding on the most appropriate treatment for their patients.

Doctors: Training

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) medical trainees expected to achieve Certificate of Completion of Training status in each of the next five years and  (b) consultant posts likely to be available in each such year.

Ann Keen: The Workforce Review Team (WRT) prediction of the number of medical trainees expected to achieve Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) status in each of the next five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Projected graduates 2008 
			 2009-10 5,750 
			 2010-11 6,225 
			 2011-12 5,650 
			 2012-13 5,877 
			 2013-14 5,400 
			  Notes: 1. The data are for junior doctors expecting to reach their CCT (secondary and general practitioner) in the coming years. This will not be pure growth in the number of trained doctors in the national health service since many will be recruited to replace retirements etc. of existing work force. 2. These are expected CCT dates and are subject to variation due to failure for doctors to progress through training as expected which can be for many reasons for example maternity leave, educational issues, illness, undertaking research. 3. Also to clarify these will be graduates of higher specialty post graduate training and not medical school graduates. 
		
	
	Local NHS organisations are best placed to determine the levels of service and resource required to meet the health needs of the local population. Therefore, the number of consultant posts likely to be available in each year is not collected centrally.

Doctors: Training

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effects on the practical experience gained by medical trainees specialising in surgery of trends in the use of  (a) out-of-hours lists and  (b) independent sector treatment centres for routine operations.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not commissioned any specific research in this area but is aware, through stakeholder engagement, of issues relating to postgraduate medical training. Evidence of the impact on training of using out of hours lists and independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) is anecdotal and variable.
	However, wherever training takes place, trainee doctors cannot progress through training unless they have demonstrated they are competent and have met the standards set by the competent authority, which in this case is the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board.
	In 2006, the Department published its policy on training in independent sector treatment centres. This stated that any training that takes place in ISTCs will be required to meet the same standards as training in other organisations. The Department will also publish shortly the Staff Passport. This will clarify how training standards will continue to be met given the plurality of providers.

Drugs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a study into the impact of the parallel trade of medicines within the European Union on the supply of medicines in England.

Mike O'Brien: We have no plans to commission such a study. We are monitoring the situation closely and are in regular contact with pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and pharmacy bodies.

Drugs: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of counterfeit medicines entering the UK via a parallel trader were recorded in each month of the last two years.

Mike O'Brien: There have been no reported cases of counterfeit medicines entering the United Kingdom via a parallel trader in the last two years. The last instance was in May 2007 where four recalls were issued in respect of three specific medicines which had entered the UK market through that route.
	No fatalities or serious adverse reactions have been attributed to counterfeit medicines in the UK up to now.

Hospital Wards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) acute,  (b) elderly,  (c) mental health,  (d) children's  (e) maternity and  (f) other Nightingale wards have been recorded in Estates Return Collection Information as in use in each NHS organisation in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the precise format requested.
	Since 2002-03, the Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts on the number of Nightingale wards in use over the reporting year, through the estates returns information collection. Since 2005-06, the data has been collected on a voluntary basis and therefore will not be complete. The available data for each year since 2002-03 has been placed in the Library.
	The information provided has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended or validated centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's involvement in the Conference on Healthcare Associated Infection on 31 October 2008, what assessment he has made of the subsequent consensus statement; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department welcomes initiatives to help reduce healthcare associated infections and was pleased to participate in the conference on 'The Relevance of Healthcare Associated Infection in Modern Surgical Practice'. The consensus statement issued subsequently by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain is likely to be of wide interest to the health service. The statement aims to heighten awareness of healthcare associated infections amongst national health service clinicians and managers. It also highlights the benefits of evidence based approaches, such as the care bundles used in our programme to reduce infections. It therefore makes a positive contribution to combating these infections.

Human Papilloma Virus: Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports of suspected adverse reactions to the  (a) AHPVA021BA and  (b) AHPVA024BA batch of the Cervarix vaccine have been made to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

Mike O'Brien: As of 13 October 2009, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 254 suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports for Cervarix vaccine with the batch number AHPVA021BA, and 129 suspected ADR reports for the batch number AHPVA024BA. It is noted that four suspected ADR reports received by MHRA related to patients who have received a Cervarix vaccination from both batches.
	MHRA has not identified any safety concerns or batch defects associated with the Cervarix batch numbers AHPVA021BA and AHPVA024BA. As with any vaccine, the MHRA will continue to closely monitor the safety of Cervarix during usage in the immunisation programme and publishes regular summaries of all suspected ADR reports associated with Cervarix on its website:
	www.mhra.gov.uk

McKinsey and Company

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on the report commissioned by his Department from McKinsey and Company on reducing costs.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is commercial and publishing it would raise issues of commercial confidentiality.

National Archives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what files held by his Department have been transferred to the National Archives during each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department has not transferred any files to The National Archives in the last 12 months. The Department normally transfers material on an annual basis rather than monthly. The list of files being prepared for transfer have been placed in the Library.

National Archives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what files held by his Department will be transferred to the National Archives during each of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Records created by the Department during the years 1982-87 that were marked to be considered for permanent preservation are being assessed for transfer to the National Archives. The recommendations of the Department's reviewers will be considered jointly with the National Archives, and an agreed list of files for transfer will be completed. It is not possible to state at this time which files will be included in that list.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place for monitoring compliance with (a) National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines and (b) NICE technology appraisals.

Mike O'Brien: In 2008-09, national health service organisations were asked to assess themselves against a core standard that incorporates compliance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) technology appraisals. These self-assessments were independently validated by the Care Quality Commission and showed that 95.2 per cent, of NHS organisations could provide evidence of compliance with this standard.
	Clinical guidelines relate to a whole pathway of care and can make a large number of recommendations spanning all stages of care from diagnosis to treatment of a condition. In view of their complexity and because of the different states of readiness for implementation in the NHS, clinical guidelines are not subject to the same performance management assessment as NICE's technology appraisals. Compliance with NICE's clinical guidelines is a developmental standard for NHS organisations and the Government expect NHS organisations to implement them over time using available resources.
	Use of NICE technology appraisals and clinical guidelines to prioritise investment and promote quality improvement is one of the ways in which primary care trusts can demonstrate progress towards becoming world class commissioners under the world class commissioning assurance framework.

NHS: Ernst and Young

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the value for money of the consultancy work provided to the NHS by Ernst and Young.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not undertaken a separate assessment of the work provided to the national health service by Ernst and Young. As part of its ongoing drive to make the NHS accountable at a local level, the NHS constitution and the statement of NHS accountability have placed the emphasis on ensuring value for money to the boards of NHS organisations.

NHS: Finance

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues and  (b) the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on proposals from the Economic Counsellor of the IMF that reforms are required in the healthcare system to tackle the UK's budget deficit.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has had no discussions with the IMF, who did not make specific reform proposals. The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget sets out a plan to address the Budget deficit. The implications for individual Government Departments will be set out in the next Spending Review, however the ministerial team has ongoing discussions about reforms needed to deliver best value from available national health service resources.

Oral Surgery Review Committee

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Oral Surgery Review Committee first met; what the Committee's terms of reference are; how much notice of the meeting was given to members of the Committee; who the members of the Committee are; what relevant qualifications each has; and which members  (a) attended and  (b) did not attend the meeting.

Ann Keen: The Oral Surgery working group first met on 23 September 2009, members were given 52 days notice of the meeting.
	The group's draft terms of reference, which are yet to be finalised, are: to understand the background of how the specialty of oral surgery (OS) has developed to date and its relationship to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS);to examine the service implications of the development of the specialty of OS; to identify the needs and expectations of patients and the public; to examine the current provision of education and training in OS; to assess the cost implications of the development and commissioning of OS; to assess the availability and accessibility of specialist services in both OS and OMFS with a specific focus on how the needs of patients and the public are currently met; and to consider the implications of any recommendations made by the OS review group and their feasibility.
	Details of committee members are listed in the following table, with a note of whether they attended the first meeting.
	
		
			  Name  Title/role  Attendance at meeting on  23 September 2009 
			 Professor Nairn Wilson (Chair) Dean and Head of Institute, King's College London. Yes 
			 Keith Altman Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Chair of the British Dental Association's Central Committee for Hospital Dental Services. - 
			 Barry Cockcroft Chief Dental Officer, England. - 
			 Professor Chris Franklin Chair of the Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors. Yes 
			 Michael Hahn Consultant Oral Surgeon. Yes 
			 Richard Hayward Oral Surgeon working in general practice, former Dean of Faculty of General Dental Practice. Yes 
			 James Parker Oral Surgeon working in hospital, past President of the British Association of Oral surgery. Yes 
			 Bernard Speculand Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. Yes 
			 Derrick Willmot Dean of Faculty of Dental Surgery. Yes 
			 Amit Bose Policy Manager, Department of Health. Yes 
			 Rachel Noble Project Manager. Yes 
			 Jerry Read Head of Oral Health Section, Department of Health. Yes

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of his Department's non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Phil Hope: Of the Department's 10 non-departmental public bodies, only the Care Quality Commission sent representatives to the political party conferences in 2009.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on reimbursements of No Cheaper Stock Obtainable concessions in each month between June 2008 and September 2009.

Mike O'Brien: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many No Cheaper Stock Obtainable applications from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee were  (a) received and  (b) granted in each month between June 2008 and September 2009.

Mike O'Brien: The number of No Cheaper Stock Obtainable applications received and granted in each month between June 2008 and September 2009 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Applications received from Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee  Applications granted by the Department of Health 
			 June 2008 5 5 
			 July 2008 5 4 
			 August 2008 2 2 
			 September2008 2 2 
			 October 2008 3 2 
			 November 2008 9 8 
			 December 2008 4 4 
			 January 2009 4 3 
			 February 2009 3 2 
			 March 2009 5 3 
			 April 2009 6 6 
			 May 2009 5 5 
			 June 2009 6 5 
			 July 2009 6 6 
			 August 2009 7 4 
			 September 2009 6 5 
			 Total 78 66 
			  Source: NHS Prescription Services Record of Concessions 
		
	
	Some applications granted may be for the same product in different months.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 233W, on the school fruit and vegetable scheme, when the pilot scheme will be complete; and when he expects the results of the pilot to be available.

Gillian Merron: There are no current pilots for the school fruit and vegetable scheme (SFVS). The scheme was originally piloted in more than 500 schools throughout England in 2000 and 2001 as the 'National Fruit Scheme'. An evaluation of the scheme can be found at the following address:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4009412
	The scheme was taken over from the Big Lottery Fund by the Department in 2004 and is now operating throughout England.
	Working in partnership with nutritionists from Leeds university, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) evaluated the impact of the SFVS, and results were published in September 2007 on the Department's website at the following address:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthimprovement/FiveADay/FiveADaygeneralinformation/DH_4002149
	Further evaluation of the scheme by NFER started in May 2009, and is expected to be published sometime later this year.

Strokes

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new cases of  (a) stroke and  (b) transient ischaemic attack occurred in each primary care trust area in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The Information Centre for health and social care has provided the data requested. This information has been placed in the Library.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 765W, on swine flu, who will be responsible for giving housebound patients swine influenza vaccinations.

Gillian Merron: Arrangements for the vaccination of housebound patients against swine influenza will be the same as for seasonal influenza. As with seasonal influenza we are not being prescriptive about who should vaccinate housebound patients. It will be for primary care trusts to decide which health care professionals are best placed to vaccinate this group of patients but we would normally expect this to be undertaken by community nursing staff who are in regular contact with these patients anyway.

Thalidomide

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to review his policy on the provision of state financial aid for people affected adversely by thalidomide; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Thalidomide survivors are already compensated through a private settlement agreed between the Thalidomide Trust, the body established to administer payments to survivors, and Diageo PLC.
	I am meeting with the National Advisory Council to the Thalidomide Trust on the 22 October to explore ways of improving access to personal budgets and direct payments in social care, as well as the feasibility of developing a pilot that tests the use of personal health budgets for thalidomide survivors.

Vulnerable Adults: Protection

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the publication of the Government's response to its consultation, No secrets: guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The consultation on the review of No secrets was comprehensive and wide-ranging.
	We were pleased that such a large number of people contributed to the review. A wide range of professionals, totalling approximately 9,000 and including social workers, health staff, police officers, probation staff, lawyers and many others, participated. We were particularly pleased that some 3,000 members of the public took part, including those with learning difficulties, older people, those with mental health problems and people from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, who came to the consultation events and debated and discussed the many issues with us.
	The summary of the responses was published in July this year, together with all the responses from organisations. The analysis and consideration of such a large volume of responses takes time; these are complex matters, which cut across health, social care and the criminal justice system. The Government response is being prepared by four Departments; the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General's Office and the Department of Health.
	We are examining all the issues raised and plan to make an announcement later this year.

Warfarin

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received warfarin prescribed by a GP in each primary care trust area in each of the last three years.

Mike O'Brien: The number of patients prescribed a specific medicine is not collected centrally. Information on the number of warfarin prescription items prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom, by primary care trust, has been placed in the Library.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to increase levels of access to broadband services since the publication of the Digital Britain report; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Department has recently set up the Network Design and Procurement Company which it pledged to do in the Digital Britain Report. The company will be responsible for the procurement process to deliver the necessary upgrade and replacement works to deliver the Universal Service Commitment (USC) for 2Mbps to virtually every community by 2012 and, in due course, the administration of the Next Generation Fund outlined in the Digital Britain White Paper.
	On take up of broadband and the Digital Inclusion agenda, the Government have also appointed Martha Lane Fox as our Digital Inclusion Champion. Her role will be to find ways of helping people without previous experience of computers to develop the skills needed to make use of the internet in order to take advantage of the benefits it offers.

Business

Ann Winterton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of overseas outsourcing on the UK labour market.

Patrick McFadden: The Department has made no formal assessment of the effect of overseas outsourcing on the UK labour market, though it has commissioned research in this area, notably on offshoring and wage inequality in the UK in 2007 (available on the BIS website) and a report from OVUM: The impact of global sourcing on the UK software and IT services sector in June 2006.
	The Department also continues to monitor academic and other studies into overseas outsourcing. These have suggested that there are no significant links between overseas outsourcing and lower overall employment.

Business Council for Britain

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times the Business Council for Britain has met in the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: Since it was established in June 2007, the Business Council for Britain has met formally seven times.

Business Council for Britain: Finance

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what costs the Business Council for Britain has incurred in the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: BIS provides secretariat support for the Business Council for Britain. Since it was established in June 2007, the Business Council has incurred a sum of £870 for hospitality, but no other costs for travel or other expenses.

Business Link

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Business Link staff have been disciplined for financial irregularities in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: Disciplined for financial irregularities has been defined as any sanction under each employers disciplinary policy and procedures relating to breach of rules relating to financial transactions.
	No Business Link employee who was directly employed in the provision of the Business Link service, by RDAs and their Business Link Providers, has been disciplined for financial irregularities since delivery of the Business Link service was contracted by RDAs to the current Business Link Providers. RDAs are unable to access the records of previous providers of the Business Link service.

Business Link: Travel

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on  (a) standard,  (b) business and  (c) first class air travel by Business Link in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 14 October 2009
	To gather this data to the level of detail and within the timeframe requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Business Link: Travel

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurants by Business Link staff in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 14 October 2009
	To gather this data to the level of detail requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Business: Government Assistance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in each constituency have received trade credit insurance under the Working Capital Scheme.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 July 2009
	As of 2 October, 58 suppliers have purchased Trade Credit Insurance under the Government Top-up Scheme, in the following constituencies.
	
		
			  Constituency  Number of suppliers 
			 Belfast South 1 
			 Birkenhead 1 
			 Birmingham, Ladywood 2 
			 Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath 2 
			 Bradford North 1 
			 Broxbourne 1 
			 Burnley 1 
			 Cannock Chase 1 
			 Cities of London and Westminster 1 
			 Cleethorpes 1 
			 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 1 
			 East Hampshire 1 
			 East Londonderry 1 
			 Eccles 1 
			 Elmet 1 
			 Exeter 1 
			 Folkestone and Hythe 1 
			 Harlow 1 
			 Heywood and Middleton 1 
			 Holborn and St. Pancras 1 
			 Huntingdon 1 
			 Islwyn 1 
			 Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle 1 
			 Luton South 1 
			 Manchester, Blackley 1 
			 Mole Valley 1 
			 Neath 1 
			 Normanton 1 
			 North Devon 1 
			 North Dorset 1 
			 North East Milton Keynes 1 
			 North Warwickshire 1 
			 Northampton South 2 
			 Nuneaton 1 
			 Ochil and South Perthshire 1 
			 Reading West 1 
			 Richmond Park 2 
			 Saffron Walden 1 
			 Scunthorpe 1 
			 Sheffield, Attercliffe 1 
			 Shipley 1 
			 South Derbyshire 1 
			 Stirling 1 
			 Telford 1 
			 Tyne Bridge 1 
			 Vale of York 1 
			 Walsall South 2 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 1 
			 West Bromwich West 2 
			 Wokingham 1 
			 Wolverhampton South West 1 
			 Wyre Forest 1 
			 Total 58

Business: Government Assistance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much had been lent by each approved lender under the Enterprise Finances Guarantee scheme since 14 January 2009.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 October 2009
	In relation to the amount of lending made by individual approved lenders I consider it important, at this stage, to maintain the confidentiality of information exchanged between Capital for Enterprise Limited (CFEL), which administers EFG on behalf of BIS, and participating lenders to maintain the trust of lenders using EFG and to maximise its use and effectiveness.
	However, as of 7 October, over £860 million of eligible applications from over 7,500 firms has been granted, being processed or assessed by 27 active lenders. Of which, over 5,600 businesses have been offered loans totalling over £575 million.
	CFEL and BIS closely monitor lending under the scheme, and the Department via CFEL is in regular contact with the central EFG teams for each approved lender.

Business: Insurance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2067W, on business insurance, what the monetary value of applications approved to date under the Trade Credit Insurance Scheme is.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 October 2009
	As of 2 October, the value of cover provided by approved applications under the Trade Credit Insurance Top-up Scheme is £13,029,000.

Business: Meetings

Philip Dunne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have met representatives of small businesses in the last 12 months to discuss security issues for such businesses arising from proposals to phase out cheques as methods of payment.

Rosie Winterton: None.

Departmental Telephone Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent officials in his Department work on the Pay and Work Rights telephone helpline service.

Patrick McFadden: There are six full-time equivalent officials in the Department who work on the Pay and Work Rights helpline, and the associated vulnerable workers awareness campaign. The helpline itself is provided by a third party supplier.

Departmental Telephone Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of calls per calendar month to his Department's Pay and Work Rights telephone helpline service since the establishment of the service.

Patrick McFadden: The Department estimates that the average monthly call volume, including uplift due to the vulnerable workers awareness raising campaign, to the Pay and Work Rights helpline will be 6,000-15,000.

Gloucester Linkages Project

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to conclude his deliberations on the Gloucester Economic Linkages Project.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has now approved the additional funding of £7.7 million being sought for the Gloucester Economic Linkages Project. I have today written to the South West Regional Development Agency informing them of this decision.

Regional Development Agencies: Manpower

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of staff of each regional development agency are  (a) black and minority ethnic people and  (b) women.

Rosie Winterton: Staff are taken to be any individual who is directly paid and employed by the agency on a permanent or fixed term contract. The figures in the table exclude temporary staff, seconded staff, contractors, external consultants, chair and board members.
	The following table provides the latest data held by each RDA:
	
		
			  RDA  Number of staff members who identify as BME  Percentage of total staff who identify as BME  Number of staff members who are female  Percentage of total staff who are female 
			 AWM 54 15.1 180 49.7 
			 EEDA(1) 6 2.6 128 55.9 
			 EMDA 28 10 161 58 
			 LDA 154 26.6 302 52.1 
			 NWDA 36 8 206 43 
			 ONE 11 2.6 274 65 
			 SEEDA(2) 15 4.6 194 59.7 
			 SWRDA(3) 3 1 205 58 
			 YR 48 10.6 268 60.6 
			 (1) The figure on BME staff is an estimate based on EEDA's internal CIPHR system, which requires staff to enter their ethnic classification. Not all EEDA staff have completed this section.  (2 )Key population data for the south east (based on the latest Census) shows the population of the south east as 4.9 per cent. BME.  (3) Key population data for the south west (based on the latest Census) shows the population of the south west as 98 per cent. white. Please also note that the figure on BME staff is an estimate based on SWRDA's internal monitoring system, which requests staff to enter their ethnic classification. Not all SWRDA staff have completed this section.

Regional Development Agencies: Official Hospitality

Margaret Moran: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what arrangements pertain to the receipt of hospitality by  (a) staff and  (b) board members of each regional development agency.

Rosie Winterton: Each regional development agency (RDA) has established policy and procedures for the receipt of gifts and hospitality. All RDA staff and board members must declare gifts and hospitality received according to each RDAs' policy in their official registers.

Regional Development Agencies: Pay

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) the Chief Executive and  (b) each board member of each regional development agency in each of the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 4 June 2009
	 The information is as follows.
	1. The financial value of the bonus payments made to RDA Chief Executives stated relates to performance against objectives delivered in the previous year. Details for each RDA are set out in the table.
	2. Board members are not awarded performance related bonuses.
	3. The data exclude London, which is the responsibility of the Mayor.
	
		
			  £ 
			  RDA  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			 AWM 20,697.48 22,341 23,102 
			 EEDA 20,000 22,000 18,000 
			 EMDA 16,515 21,225 22,838 
			 NWDA(1) 22,649 22,649 19,252 
			 ONE 22,594 23,278 23,102 
			 SEEDA 25,500 17,404 24,579 
			 South West RDA(2) 20,212 15,766 16,422 
			 YF(3) 20,000 (3)26,000 17,000 
			 (1) NWDAs bonus payments for 2005/06 and 06/07 were the same as they were both calculated on the 2006/07 salary as 2005/06 award was received late in the year. (2) During 2006/07 SWRDA changed CEO. The figures for this year include costs for two CEOs. (3) During 2005/06, YF changed CEO. The figure for 2006/07 is therefore comprised of bonuses paid to two CEOs and breaks down into separate payments £23,000 and £3,000 respectively.

Royal Mail: Meetings

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings the management of Royal Mail has had with the Communication Workers Union  (a) since 2007 and  (b) during 2009.

Patrick McFadden: Meetings that the management of Royal Mail has had with the Communication Workers Union are a matter which is the responsibility of Royal Mail's management. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
	A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure the Shareholder Executive incurred on external advisory services in relation to the Launch Investment Support for  (a) GKN and  (b) Bombardier.

Rosie Winterton: Shareholder Executive incurred no expenditure on external advisory services in relation to its work on the applications made by GKN or Bombardier although external advisers were appointed by the Department's Aerospace Industry Group.

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been raised from the sale of assets from the Shareholder Executive portfolio in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			   US$ billion 
			 2005-06 5.4 
			  0.3 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 2.4 
			 2008-09 5.2

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure the Shareholder Executive incurred on external advisory services in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			   £ Million 
			 2005-06 4.7 
			 2006-07 4.6 
			 2007-08 (1)3.1 
			 2008-09 (2)5 
			 (1) £2.9 million gross spend less £6 million recovered. (2) £11.4 million gross spend less £6.4 million recovered.

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure the Shareholder Executive incurred on each class of air travel in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: We do not keep a record of class of air travel. A mixture of standard and business class is used dependent on availability and flexibility of flights.

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure the Shareholder Executive incurred on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurants in each of the last four years; and what proportion of such expenditure was incurred in respect of the Corporate Finance Practice.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows expenditure incurred by Shareholder Executive (ShEx) in each area for each of the last four financial years and how much of this was incurred by Corporate Finance Practice (CFP). We do not have a breakdown for expenditure incurred in  (e) restaurants as such claims are made as part of wider subsistence claims.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Car hire (taxis)  Rail travel  Air travel  Hotels 
			  2005-06 
			 ShEx 22.4 20.9 38.2 3.4 
			 CFP 1.5 3.2 4.9 0.4 
			  
			  2006-07 
			 ShEx 17.8 18.6 9.3 5.9 
			 CFP 1.1 5.2 4.4 0.8 
			  
			  2007-08 
			 ShEx 11.3 23.2 12.0 6.4 
			 CFP 1.1 4.8 2.7 0.9 
			  
			  2008-09 
			 ShEx 13.6 44.6 20.6 4.9 
			 CFP 0.5 5.8 0.3 0.3

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Shareholder Executive spent on staff entertainment in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 170 
			 2007-08 420 
			 2008-09 555

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people were employed in the Corporate Finance Practice of the Shareholder Executive in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: The number of staff employed in the Corporate Finance Practice (CFP) at the end of each of the last four financial years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 3 
			 2006-07 3 
			 2007-08 7 
			 2008-09 8 
		
	
	The number of staff currently employed in CFP is 11.

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times representatives of the Shareholder Executive have met the Executive's Advisory Group since May 2008.

Rosie Winterton: Representatives of the Shareholder Executive have met the Advisory Group on six occasions since May 2008.

Shareholder Executive

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of progress towards achieving the Government's target for asset sales from the Shareholder Executive in each of the last four years.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have announced a target of securing £16 billion from asset and property disposals for the period to end-March 2014. Of this, £3 billion is expected to come from asset sales. Shareholder Executive is working with HM Treasury and other asset-owning Departments to progress this work. An update on progress against this target will be included in the autumn pre-Budget report.
	Shareholder Executive has not previously been set targets for asset sales.

Students: Loans

Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the amount owing to the Student Loans Company in repayments and loans;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of students who owe money for  (a) tuition fee loans and  (b) maintenance loans.

David Lammy: Provisional information shows that at the end of financial year 2008-09 the total student loan balance for England was £25.97 billion. This includes loans not yet due for repayment and covers fee loans and maintenance loans, including the older mortgage style loans. At the same point in time there were 962,300 borrowers with tuition fee loans. There were 2,866,000 borrowers with maintenance loans, of whom 298,200 had the older mortgage style loans.

Students: Loans

Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed sale of the student loans book on  (a) the interest rate on student loans and  (b) students who are borrowing or repaying loans; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Regardless of whether a loan is sold or retained, there will be no change in the regulations, terms and conditions for existing loans. Purchasers of sold loans will not be able to charge a different rate of interest; they will not be able to change the income threshold for repayments; and they will not be able to use a borrower's personal details for any purpose beyond that which is required for management of the loans.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Recruitment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what data his Department and its predecessor holds on the level of diversity in its recruitment of employees in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: No data are available centrally from either BIS or DEFRA (predecessor Departments). As DECC have also used BIS on an outsourced basis for all recruitment since its inception, similarly no data are available for this period. The data could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities: Costs

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) heat, (iii) water and sewerage services and (iv) disposal of waste on the latest date for which figures are available; what proportion of such (A) electricity and (B) heat was from renewable sources; what the weight was of such waste; what proportion of such waste was recycled; at what cost such waste was recycled; and what area of office floor space (1) his Department and (2) its agencies own or lease.

Joan Ruddock: Since its inception, DECC has made use of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly BERR) and DEFRA's central facilities management systems. As a consequence the information you have requested is not held centrally by the Department.
	For the latest available figures from BIS and DEFRA I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column reference 1156W. This response includes Whitehall Place, which is now occupied by DECC, but covers 2007-08 which is prior to the formation of DECC. No later information is currently available.
	We do however have information on one of our buildings, Atholl House in Aberdeen, which is based on a DECC occupancy of 30 per cent (1,567 square metres) covering the period 1 April 09 to 31 August 2009.

Members: Correspondence

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009, on Dartford Creek cable bridge, whether his Department received a letter dated 3 August 2009 from the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford on the subject.

David Kidney: I can confirm that the hon. Member's letter dated 3 August 2009 was received by the Department. I understand that my noble Friend the Minister of State responded in September 2009.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to provide a substantive reply to question 290928 tabled on 9 September 2009 on the power cut at Dartford Creek on 20 July 2009.

David Kidney: The hon. Member for Bexley and Crayford was given an incorrect answer to his question on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 486W. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made today correcting this answer.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Education Maintenance Allowance

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will review the criteria for educational maintenance allowance (EMA) with a view to granting greater discretion in allowing reassessment of eligibility for EMA in circumstances where a household's income changes substantially within a financial year.

Iain Wright: We have no current plans to change the criteria for EMA eligibility. For most young people, eligibility for education maintenance allowance (EMA) is subject to an assessment of their household income based on the financial year prior to the academic year in which they start their course. A successful assessment provides a young person with a guaranteed entitlement of up to three years of EMA on the same rate regardless of whether their income increases. If there is a drop in income from one year to the next then a young person may apply to be reassessed for the subsequent academic year. They could be assessed as eligible for EMA where they were not previously, or an increased rate of it. They would receive the EMA guarantee based on the rate awarded following the most recent assessment.
	There are a limited number of exceptional circumstances in which a young person may apply to be reassessed for EMA during the academic year.
	Those circumstances are:
	(i) someone whose income was taken into account in determining financial eligibility has died;
	(ii) a person whose income was taken into account in determining financial eligibility has experienced a reduction in income due to their own disability, or the disability of any other person for whom he or she has responsibility as primary carer (disability means as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995);
	(iii) Since the assessment of income was made, the young person has become estranged from their parents, guardians or someone else whose income was taken into account in determining financial eligibility;
	(iv) The young person has become a parent with responsibility for their own child.
	The financial needs of young people can be affected by a range of circumstances, including reductions in household income due to redundancy, or reduced working hours. Other mechanisms exist to help with the costs of supporting young people aged 16 to 19 in learning. Child benefit provides support for parents regardless of income, and tax credits are designed to tailor support to current circumstances and to be responsive to changing needs.
	In addition to the support provided to families, discretionary learner support funds are made available via the Learning and Skills Council to colleges and local authorities. This funding is provided to enable schools and colleges, using their discretion, to help individual learners who may otherwise experience financial hardship or barriers to continuing in learning.
	This year we have strengthened the guidance to providers to emphasise that these funds must be targeted to young people who have most need of them, including those who may face financial hardship following in year changes to their household income.
	We will continue to look at additional help via discretionary learner support funds and provide rapid and appropriate responses to changes in employment.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will estimate the cost of extending education maintenance allowance to all school leavers entering further education; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: EMA was introduced as an incentive to encourage more young people from lower income households to stay on in post compulsory learning, and to address the issue that the UK had one of the lowest post-16 participation rates in OECD countries. The scheme was piloted from 1999 and rolled out nationally, to consecutive cohorts of learners in full-time education, from September 2004. It was extended to trainees in unwaged training provision in 2006.
	We have previously estimated that, to have made the lowest level of EMA (the £10 per week payment) available to all learners not already receiving it would have increased expenditure by around £300 million in the 2007/08 academic year. We have not estimated the cost for 2009/10 and do not plan to do so. We believe that, to be effective, state support needs to be targeted where there is most need.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the average annual cost to schools of delivering  (a) Key Stage 1 and 2 national tests,  (b) GCSEs and  (c) A-levels and AS-levels; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The National Curriculum tests for Key Stage 1 and 2 are made freely available to schools.
	For GCSEs, A-Levels and AS-Levels the Department began collecting information in 2002-03 in sufficient detail to answer this question. No comparable data is available for previous years. The information in the table below covers the combined costs of all relevant examination entry fees, including GCSEs, A/AS levels and GNVQs, and any accreditation costs related to pupils. We do not collect separate data on each type of qualification.
	
		
			  Examination Fees 
			   (E21)( 1) (£)( 2) 
			 2002-03 155,611,000 
			 2003-04 173,843,000 
			 2004-05 198,227,000 
			 2005-06 220,056,000 
			 2006-07 240,861,000 
			 2007-08(3) 265,305,000 
			 (1). Includes expenditure by local authority maintained schools in England on the costs of examination entry fees, and costs of accreditation related to pupils (the payments centres make to awarding bodies to register with them to take their qualification). This includes GCSEs, A/AS levels and GNVQs; it excludes the cost of exam resources like test papers, or administration costs in schools. (2). Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. (3). 2007-08 data remains provisional and subject to change.  Source:  http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/section52/subPage.cfm? action=section52.defaultID=58 (Budget Data Archive)

European Schools

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to encourage the development and modernisation of the network of European schools in respect of their  (a) governance,  (b) finance and  (c) pedagogy, with reference both to (i) actions within the UK and (ii) by seeking international agreement.

Iain Wright: At international level the UK actively engages in discussions at the European Schools Board of Governors to develop and modernise the system. Steps currently being taken include:
	(a) giving the 14 European Schools greater autonomy and control of their budgets;
	(b) establishing a method to achieve a fairer distribution among member states of the cost of seconding teachers; and
	(c) an evaluation of the European Baccalaureate.
	Within the UK, work is ongoing with interested parties to explore the possibility of the European School of Culham becoming an Academy and moving into the English national system.

Outreach Workers

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many outreach workers are expected to be employed through the £79 million expenditure for outreach workers up to 2011 announced by his Department;
	(2)  how many outreach workers were employed in Sure Start Children's Centres in each quarter for which information is available; and what qualifications such workers are required to have.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not collect information on how many outreach workers have been, or are expected to be, employed by 2011 in Sure Start children's centres. Staffing levels in children's centres are a matter for local management by local authorities and their partner agencies. The Government's Sure Start Children's Centres: Phase 3 Planning and Delivery document suggests that in the most disadvantaged areas there should be at least three outreach workers per children's centre. In less disadvantaged areas, local authorities will decide on the best approach based on their assessment of local needs.
	The additional funding which the Government have made available each year since 2008 means that local authorities can increase the number of outreach workers in centres serving the most disadvantaged communities by two, in addition to the funding for one outreach worker per children's centre that had already been included in local authorities' Sure Start early years and child care grant. Funding for outreach is not a separate sum of money allocated to local authorities-they decide how to allocate funding to individual children's centres in their area to meet the needs in each community.
	The qualifications required for practitioners engaged in outreach in Sure Start children's centres will depend on the different job roles and purposes developed in each centre, which will be in response to local need. Relevant qualifications include those from child care, family support, social care, counselling, teaching and community work. The Sure Start children's centres practice guidance makes clear the expectation that children's centres should be working towards all staff being trained to at least NVQ level 2.

Pre-school Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the estimated cost is of extending the free early education entitlement to 250,000 extra two year olds; and from which budget the funding will be provided.

Dawn Primarolo: The extension of the free early education entitlement to 250,000 extra two-year-olds is being fully funded through savings from phasing out tax relief on child care vouchers at no extra cost to the taxpayer. More details will be set out in the pre-Budget report.

Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding he expects to allocate to the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's budget for 2009-10, which includes funding for Ofqual, is £188 million.
	There has been no decision on funding for 2010-11.

Schools: Transport

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has contributed to the Travelling to School Initiative in rural areas in each year since the initiative began.

Dawn Primarolo: Funding for the Travelling to School Initiative is allocated on a local authority wide rather than an area basis. Consequently we are unable to provide the data requested.

TREASURY

Banks: Iceland

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Icelandic government on its plans to reimburse the UK for expenditure incurred as a result of the collapse of Icelandic banks.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Child Trust Fund: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley had received child trust fund payments on the latest date for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The latest statistics on child trust fund accounts, to be published in the near future, show that 5,587 children born before 6 April 2008 in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and 15,480 children born before 6 April 2008 in the London borough of Bexley have a child trust fund account.
	Previous years' statistics were published on 6 November 2008 and can be viewed on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ctf/cons-stats-oct08.pdf

Departmental Official Cars

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Spending by the Treasury on car hire in the last five years is set out in the following table. In 2007 the Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce corporate services merged to create the Treasury Group Shared Services, which works across two sites (one in London and one in Norwich) The programme realised savings of £1.9 million, as reported in table 4a of the addendum to the Autumn Performance Report 2008, available from:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/apr2008_addendum120509.pdf
	
		
			   Amount  ( £000 ) 
			 2008-09 7 
			 2007-08 7 
			 2006-07 6 
			 2005-06 3 
			 2004-05 3

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for civil servants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on the number and class of tickets purchased is not normally held, because the Treasury's accounting system records the costs of travel but not the number or type of tickets bought. However, the Treasury's travel management company provided information on the number and type of tickets purchased through them covering travel by all members of the Department, including Ministers.
	The combined spending of HM Treasury and the Debt Management Office on UK and overseas first class rail travel was £546,000 in 2006-07, £447,000 in 2007-08 and £379,000 in 2008-09. Tickets bought but subsequently refunded are excluded and some tickets are bought directly by the traveller, so this information is not a complete record of all tickets purchased.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the 'Civil service Management Code' and the 'Ministerial Code'.

Financial Services Authority's Retail Distribution

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the number of independent financial advisers who will be required to requalify as a result of implementation of the proposals in the Financial Services Authority's Retail Distribution Review.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Retail Distribution Review is a matter for the FSA, as the independent regulator. The FSA's current estimate is that less than half of Independent Financial Advisers will need to gain a new qualification. However, this estimate is made difficult because there is currently no register of the relevant information, the qualification requirements have not been finalised and Independent Financial Advisers gain new qualifications continually.

Members: Correspondence

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason letters sent from his Department in 2009 to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak from  (a) the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, dated 12 March (ref. A/852/08), 2 June (ref. 1/70557/09) and 17 August (ref. 3/10608/09),  (b) the Financial Services Secretary, dated 17 June (ref. 5/3755/2008) and 25 July (ref. 5/04757/2009) and  (c) the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, dated 15 June (ref. 4/33435/2009) and 4 August (ref. 3/10485/2009) were printed on one side of each sheet of paper only.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 252W. The Treasury continues to work towards further increasing the use of double sided printing.

Royal Mail

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 23-28, on sale of Government assets, what consideration he gave to including all or part of Royal Mail in the portfolio of assets which are proposed to be sold.

Liam Byrne: Royal Mail was not specifically mentioned in the portfolio of assets announced on 12 October because it and the postal market have already been subject to a wide ranging review led by Richard Hooper CBE which reported less than a year ago.
	The proposed sale of a minority stake in Royal Mail is part of a wider package of measures to secure its future and to ensure that the universal postal service is maintained. Under this package Royal Mail would remain in public ownership.

Tax Allowances

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated saving to the public purse is from removing the employer-supported childcare tax and national insurance exemptions.

Stephen Timms: Further details of the changes to income tax and NICs exemptions for Employer Supported Childcare (ESC) will be published alongside the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Taxation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to businesses of submitting tax returns online in  (a) ASCII and  (b) XBRL formats.

Stephen Timms: No estimate of the cost to business of submitting tax returns online using ASCII has been made.
	In April 2009 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published an updated impact assessment about online filing services, including the use of XBRL enabled software. The impact assessment is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/carter-ia-final1.pdf
	At that stage, the work on XBRL was largely qualitative rather then quantitative However there have been rapid developments in the XBRL market over the last six months. HMRC will publish an updated impact assessment reflecting this shortly.

Taxation

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) requirements and  (b) guidance apply to the promotion of tax avoidance schemes by banks in receipt of assistance under the (i) Asset Protection Scheme and (ii) Credit Guarantee Scheme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers due to taxpayer confidentiality. We expect all banks to comply fully with their tax obligations and although avoidance is not illegal we vigorously challenge it, through the courts if necessary, including where the bank is partly owned by the Government.
	The Government and HM Revenue and Customs have always moved quickly and effectively to tackle tax avoidance in all its forms. The 2009 Budget announced further measures to tackle avoidance including disclosure regime enhancement, swift action to close down aggressive tax avoidance schemes, publicity for avoidance schemes which are considered ineffective, and new principle-based approaches to avoidance legislation. In June HM Revenue and Customs published a consultation document on a voluntary code of practice on taxation for the banking sector. The code seeks to ensure that banks comply with not just the letter, but also the spirit of the law.

Taxation

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what terms and conditions apply to the agreements made by the Government for amnesties for British taxpayers with accounts in  (a) Liechtenstein and  (b) British overseas territories; what the reasons are for such terms and conditions in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Two separate arrangements-the New Disclosure Opportunity (NDO) and Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility (LDF)-were launched on 1 September 2009.
	Both provide taxpayers with an incentive to disclose voluntarily income, gains and assets hidden offshore and pay back taxes together with interest and penalties. The NDO is the last opportunity for people to come forward voluntarily and receive favourable penalties. If they do not, they will be leaving themselves open to investigation and potential criminal prosecution after 30 November 2009 when the notification window closes.
	Details of the terms and conditions of both of these arrangements are available on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/disclosure/liechtenstein-disclosure.htm
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/offshoreaccounts/feature-terms.htm

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what modelling his Department has undertaken on the likely effects the abolition of furnished holiday lettings tax relief will have on  (a) tourism,  (b) rural areas and  (c) regional economies.

Stephen Timms: The Government announced the withdrawal of the furnished holiday lettings scheme from 2010 at the 2009 Budget in order to provide advance notice of the change, and allow those affected time to plan.
	Estimates of the revenue impact of this change were published at Budget 2009. An impact assessment will be published at the 2009 pre-Budget report alongside draft legislation.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal advice his Department took in advance of the decision to abolish furnished holiday lettings tax relief.

Stephen Timms: As was the case with the previous Administration, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of its legal advice.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation his Department undertook with stakeholders in advance of the decision to abolish furnished holiday lettings tax relief.

Stephen Timms: The decision to repeal the Furnished Holiday Lettings relief from April 2010 was taken because the relief may not be compliant with EU law. It was therefore not appropriate to consult on whether a change should be made.
	The repeal was announced in the Budget 2009 in order to provide advance notice of the change, and allow those affected time to plan.
	Although a formal consultation is not planned, the Government do intend to publish draft legislation at the 2009 pre-Budget report, and will be happy to receive comments at that time.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of businesses which will be affected by the abolition of furnished holiday lettings tax relief.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) administrative systems do not record the number of companies with income from furnished holiday lettings. Based on information held by Companies House, we estimate that fewer than 500 companies have furnished holiday lettings as their main source of income. There may also be a number of companies who have a small amount of furnished holiday lettings income to supplement their main source of income.
	More broadly, in 2007-08, the last full year for which information is available, approximately 60,000 individuals declared income from furnished holiday lettings to HMRC.
	An impact assessment will be published at the pre-Budget report 2009 alongside draft legislation.

Valuation Office

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what aerial photography the Valuation Office Agency has obtained for its new Geographical Information System; and whether this information was obtained  (a) through the Pan-Government Agreement,  (b) directly from Ordnance Survey or  (c) by another means.

Ian Pearson: As noted in the response given by the former Financial Secretary on 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1688W, the use of aerial photography is not within the scope of the Agency's Geographical Information System.

Working Tax Credit

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many working tax credit recipients were receiving the 50-plus element on 1 January  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009.

Stephen Timms: The estimated number of households receiving working tax credit and benefiting from the 50-plus element on 1 January 2008 was 14,600.
	The equivalent figure for 1 January 2009 was 16,600 households.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the Equality and Human Rights Commission's  (a) budget and  (b) estimated expenditure on interim staff is for 2009-10.

Maria Eagle: Costs and projected spend on interim staff for 2009-10 is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Budget  Actual 
			 2009-10 - (1)6,592 
			 (1 )Provisional 
		
	
	There was no budget set for agency or interim staff costs. These costs were managed within the overall budget for staffing.
	The Commission are currently undertaking a mid-year review of all budgets so the 2009-10 budget is subject to change.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the Equality and Human Rights Commission's budget for interim staff was in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: The Equality and Human Rights Commission came into existence in October 2007. Interim staff costs from October 2007 are as follows:
	
		
			   Actual (£000) 
			 October 2007 to March 2008 1,818 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 6,247 
		
	
	There was no budget set for agency or interim staff costs. These costs were managed within the overall budget for staffing.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many staff in each grade employed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission received no pay rise in each of the last two years.

Maria Eagle: The breakdown of employees of the Equality and Human Rights Commission by grade who have received no pay rise during 2007-08 and 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  Level  Total  Percentage of total permanent employees 
			 Director and above 18 100.0 
			 L1 8 32.0 
			 L2 9 9.8 
			 L3 31 21.7 
			 L4 32 31.7 
			 L5 18 28.1 
			 Legacy grades 8 50.0 
			 Total 124 26.2

CABINET OFFICE

Charity Commission

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what declaration of political activity has been made by each  (a) Commissioner and  (b) Executive Director of the Charity Commission;
	(2)  what the total annual monetary remuneration of each commissioner of the Charity Commission is, including  (a) expenses and  (b) monies paid to compensate for tax liability.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the commission to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew Hind, dated October 2009:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Questions that ask for a list of declarations of political activities made (292597) and the total annual monetary remuneration of each Board member including expenses and any monies paid to compensate for tax liability (292598).
	Appointments to the Commission's non-executive Board (as 'Members of the Commission') only came under the formal regulation of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) in February this year, so a declaration of political activity has not yet been required from the majority of our Board members. The Chair, however, was re-appointed in July under OCPA's formal regulation, so a declaration of political activity was made then. That declaration was that the Chair is inactive politically. The senior Executive team - me and the four Executive Directors, are all Senior Civil Servants and thus abide by the Civil Service Management Code and contractual commitments to impartiality; all of us are politically inactive.
	We have a comprehensive biographical section and Register of Interests available publicly on our website, respectively at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/commissioners.asp and http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/decint.asp. These provide further details of the Commission's Board members' and senior executives' backgrounds.
	Details of the remuneration of Members of the Commission are shown in our 2008/09 Resource Accounts, available in the House Library and on our website at http://www.charity commission.gov.uk/Library/spr/pdfs/resac0809.pdf. For ease, I attach at Annex A the relevant table (extended slightly to reflect the compensation for tax liability and the context of this letter) from these accounts. Members of the Commission are remunerated at a rate of £350 a day. The terms of their appointments are for 4-6 days a month for the two legally-qualified Members and 2-3 days a month for the others. The Chair's appointment is for a minimum of three-days-a-week.
	Expenses for 2008/09 are also published on our website at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/tcc/expenses.asp and I attach this table at Annex B. We will be publishing, in the next few weeks, the first six months' of expenses claimed / paid in 2009/10.
	I hope this is helpful and please do let me know if you wish to discuss or need anything further.
	
		
			  Annex A: 2008-09 remuneration (audited) 
			   2008-09 remuneration (£000) 
			 Dame S. Leather DBE(1) (Chair) 80-85 
			 J. Williams(1) (Member) 20-25 
			 T. Woodcraft(1) (Member) 5-10 
			 Simon Jones(2) (Member) 15-20 
			 Sharmila Nebhrajani(2) (Member) 5-10 
			 Dr. Andrew Purkis OBE(2) (Member) 10-15 
			 Theo Sowa(2) (Member) 10-15 
			 Simon Wethered(2) ((Legally-qualified) Member) 20-25 
			 John Wood(2) ((Legally-qualified) Member) 15-20 
			 (1) Indicates part-time non-Executive appointed on a three-year fixed term contract, with the option of extension or reappointment. J. Williams and T. Woodcraft transferred to the new contracts for members on 4 January 2008 and 1 May 2008 respectively, and since transfer, receive the same remuneration as those members appointed since 1 July 2007. (2) Members appointed since July 2007 receive a daily fee of £350. No pension contributions are paid.  Note: In addition to the above, Dame Suzi Leather in accordance with her contract of employment received additional payments amounting to £25,403 in respect of reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs arising from her home base being out of London. The Charity Commission meets the resulting tax liability of £22,355 for this contractual commitment. 
		
	
	 Annex B: Charity Commission expenses incurred by board members and the senior executive team
	In line with its commitment to transparency and openness, the Charity Commission has decided to publish board members', chief executive's and directors' expenses online. This publication of expenses covers the financial year 2008-09 (1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009) for each board member and director by significant expense class-see following table.
	Expenses will be published hereafter quarterly, i.e. covering the previous three months. These expenses will be scrutinised by the Charity Commission's Audit Committee every six months.
	
		
			   Subsistence  Mileage  Accommodation  Rail  Flights  Taxis  Bus/  Coach  Parking  Postage  Food  Total 
			  Board members
			 Dame S. Leather (Chair) 125.03 102.72 330.23 1,110.06 - 4,697.22 - - - - 6,365.26 
			 J. Williams - - - 286.43 - 30.00 - - - - 316.43 
			 T. Woodcraft - - - 66.43 - - - - 1.08 - 67.51 
			 S. Jones - 24.80 815.69 2,086.30 - 124.50 - 2.00 8.95 223.81 3,286.05 
			 S. Nebhrajani - - - 23.48 - 53.00 - - - - 76.48 
			 A. Purkis - - - 89.91 - - - - - - 89.91 
			 T. Sowa - - 91.29 280.23 - 9.00 - - - 6.35 386.87 
			 S. Wethered - - 91.41 267.36 - 58.69 - - - - 417.46 
			 J. Wood - - 91.29 149.58 - 32.00 - - - 27.41 300.28 
			 Total 125.03 127.52 1,419.91 4,359.78 0.00 5,004.41 0.00 2.00 10.03 257.57 11,306.25 
			 
			  Directors
			 A. Hind (CEO) - - 864.92 2,248.17 63.43 681.69 9.00 - - 139.48 4,006.69 
			 R. Chapman 86.88 - 407.06 2,473.70 491.78 835.30 - - - - 4,294.72 
			 K. Dibble 232.03 28.80 658.58 1,437.22 - 443.77 - - - - 2,800.40 
			 N. Allaway - 140.80 451.40 3,687.60 114.00 6.00 1.50 14.50 - - 4,415.80 
			 D. Locke 1,146.02 - 3,001.24 4,705.30 - 444.90 - - - 15.89 9,313.35 
			 Total 1,464.93 169.60 5,383.20 14,551.99 669.21 2,411.66 10.50 14.50 - 155.37 24,830.96 
			 
			 Grand total 1,589.96 297.12 6,803.11 18,911.77 669.21 7,416.07 10.50 16.50 10.03 412.94 36,137.21 
			  Notes: 1. The reported expenses include the cost of all travel, accommodation and other support services for board members, the chief executive and directors. The variation in travel and accommodation expenses between board members reflects their respective time commitments and duties, the range of activities they undertake, the location of their homes and other individual factors. All board members, directors and the chief executive are required to travel around the UK to some extent. 2. The Commission has four offices in England and Wales: London, Liverpool, Newport (Gwent) and Taunton. With the probable exception of the chair and chief executive, the majority of board members' and directors' travel is between these offices. 3. Rail travel and accommodation are mainly booked through central agencies rather than by individuals who then claim the expense back. The costs shown, therefore, are those incurred by individuals rather than 'expenses claimed'. 4. 'Subsistence' covers the allowances payable for significant time out of the office and for overnight stays, at rates agreed with HMRC. 5. Where the board and directors attend key events that are organised centrally and through a 'block booking' by the Commission, e.g. where open board meetings are held away from the London office, the accommodation and food costs are not included as, retrospectively, this would involve disproportionate resource and expense. Events of this type held in 2008-09 were open board meetings in Liverpool and Swansea, the Charity Commission's Annual Public Meeting in London and the board's away day in Hertfordshire. The cost of these would add around £500 in total to each individual's accommodation/food costs.

Former Ministers

Michael Meacher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which former Ministers have been given leave to take up appointments in the private sector within two years of leaving ministerial office; and which appointment each was given leave to accept.

Tessa Jowell: The Ministerial Code, published in July 2007, states that on leaving office, Ministers must seek advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointments or employment they wish to take up within two years of leaving office, apart from unpaid appointments in non-commercial organisations.
	Details of advice given by the Committee on appointments taken up by former Ministers are outlined in the Committee's annual reports which are available in the Libraries of the House or on its website at:
	www.acoba.gov.uk

Households: Poverty

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what her latest estimate is of the number of  (a) households and  (b) households in poverty without a landline telephone.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply to the hon. Member. A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Unemployment

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people resident in  (a) Vale of York constituency and  (b) England were in receipt of jobseeker's allowance on the latest date for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people resident in (a) Vale of York constituency and (b) England were in receipt of jobseekers allowance on the latest date for which figures are available. (293179)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. In September 2009 the number of persons claiming JSA who were resident in the Vale of York was 1,185. The number of persons claiming JSA who were resident in England was 1,329,140.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at: http://www. nomisweb.co.uk.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she expects to answer Question 281652, on Civil Service nationality, tabled on 17 June 2009.

Tessa Jowell: Question 281652 was answered on 9 October 2009. It appears in the  Official Report, dated 12 October 2009, columns 397-99W.

Young People: Jobseeker's Allowance

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people aged between 16 and 24 years in Montgomeryshire was claiming jobseeker's allowance on the latest date for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of people aged between 16 and 24 in Montgomeryshire was claiming job seeker's allowance on the latest date for which figures are available. (294186)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. In September 2009 the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds resident in the Montgomeryshire parliamentary constituency claiming Jobseeker's Allowance was 7.7 per cent.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings: Energy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the re-cast Article 4 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will require minimum energy performance standards for existing  (a) domestic and  (b) non-domestic buildings which are not otherwise laid out in the specified exemptions.

John Healey: Article 4 of the re-cast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will not require any new obligations in respect of energy performance standards for existing  (a) domestic and  (b) non-domestic buildings above those currently laid out in the Energy Performance of Building Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/991).

Campaign for More and Better Homes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1662W, on LLM Communications, which Minister in his Department approved the payments to the Campaign for More and Better Homes.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2011W.

Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the responsibilities and remit are of  (a) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment,  (b) the Homes and Communities Agency's Design and Sustainable Development Team,  (c) the Homes and Communities Agency's Advisory Team for Large Applications,  (d) the Homes and Communities Agency's National Consultancy Unit and  (e) the Homes and Communities Agency's Urban Design Compendium.

John Healey: The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) both have an interest in ensuring high standards in the built environment, and have distinct but complementary roles.
	 (a) CABE is the Government's statutory advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. It promotes education and high standards in architecture, the understanding and appreciation of it and the design, management and maintenance of the built environment. Its statutory functions are set out in Part 8 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 at:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050016_en_10
	The HCA is the national housing and regeneration agency with a delivery role to create opportunity for people to live in high quality, sustainable places. It provides funding for affordable housing, and brings land back into productive use. It also aims to improve quality of life by raising standards for the physical and social environment and therefore works in a number of different ways to achieve this.
	 (b) The HCA's Design and Sustainable Development Team is responsible for setting standards in respect of all major HCA projects and programmes; developing and trialling new approaches, and developing and demonstrating best practice through exemplar developments including on the use of brownfield land.
	 (c) The Advisory Team for Large Applications provides local planning authorities with a specialist advisory service across the country. This team works with local authorities and the private sector to help unblock and speed up large and complex planning applications. See
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/hca_expertise
	 (d) The HCA's National Consultancy Unit (now the Land and Development Consultancy Unit) provides HCA regional teams and partners with support and advice on their projects in regeneration and growth areas; manages the HCA's property and technical frameworks and those of its delivery partner panels; develops and disseminates specialist best practice in development, placemaking and community involvement.
	 (e) The HCA's Urban Design Compendium is a document that gives urban designers worldwide guidance on the principles of urban design and highlights how these can be applied in practice. See the following for more details:
	www.urbandesigncompendium.co.uk

Community Infrastructure Levy

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of the Community Infrastructure Levy on the burden of regulation on house builders.

John Healey: The Government have made an assessment of the impact of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) upon landowners and developers, including house builders, in preparing the impact assessments on CIL, which have accompanied the different legislative stages of the passage of the Planning Act 2008 and the ongoing development of CIL regulations.
	The most recent assessment was published on 30 July to accompany the draft CIL regulations and can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planning andbuilding/infrastructurelevypartial

Conservatories: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 16 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2209W, on conservatories, how many conservatories in England are recorded on the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model.

Barbara Follett: The automated valuation model is not used to record the presence of a conservatory. Details, by Billing Authority, of the number of properties in the Valuation Office Agency's property attribute database recorded with each of the dwellinghouse codes (including codes for different types of conservatories) will be placed in the Library of the House.

Consolidated PR

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments the Audit Commission has made to Consolidated PR in the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 19 October 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply. You asked a similar question in May 2009 (pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 752W, on publicity, what projects were undertaken by each of the public relations companies hired by the Audit Commission; and for what reason the Commission did not use its own staff in each case).
	We advised that the Audit Commission contracted with Consolidated Communications, a communications and public relations company, in 2006 and 2007 during a period of substantial reorganisation of our publishing and media relations. Consolidated offered advice and support, replacing functions that, temporarily, were not available in house. For this service, the Audit Commission paid a total of £137,700.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Conveyancing: Fees and Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 230W, on conveyancing: fees and charges, if he will publish the data which his Department has collected on CON29 search fees charged by local authorities.

John Healey: This information is already in the public domain as individual local authorities publish details of the fees they charge for a CON29 search.

Council Tax: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will undertake a privacy impact assessment of the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model and associated council tax databases in light of the amounts of digital property data being stored by that Agency.

Barbara Follett: No. The Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model was developed before privacy impact assessment became mandatory and the project posed no risk to the privacy of an individual.

Council Tax: Energy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations his Department has received from the Energy Saving Trust on  (a) levels of council tax on homes with an energy efficiency rating of F or G and  (b) the sale and rent of homes with an energy efficiency rating of F or G.

John Healey: EST have made representations on a number of policy areas including responses to the Home Energy Savings Strategy (HESS) joint DECC/CLG consultation, the Rugg review and the Beyond Decent Homes inquiry.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 189, on council tax: valuation, how many proposals were submitted to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) in each of those four years requesting a band change; and how many and what proportion were  (a) accepted,  (b) rejected by the VOA and not subject to appeal,  (c) rejected by the VOA, considered by the Valuation Tribunal Service and not successfully appealed against and  (d) rejected by the VOA, considered by the Valuation Tribunal Service and successfully appealed against.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is shown as follows:
	
		
			   (a)  (b)  (c)  (d)  Total settled 
			 2005-06 14,455 11,397 840 1,262 27,954 
			 2006-07 13,296 12,244 999 793 27,332 
			 2007-08 15,132 10,624 5,477 1,244 32,477 
			 2008-09 9,856 17,185 4,457 974 32,472

Councillors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of local authority councillors who simultaneously hold posts in both tiers of local government in areas where a two-tier system operates.

Rosie Winterton: My Department has made no such estimate.
	The LGA/IDeA 2008 National Census of Local Authority Councillors in England found that 41.3 per cent. of representatives of shire counties were members of another local authority.

Derelict Land

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the policy of the Homes and Communities Agency is on allowing brownfield land it owns or controls to be used for  (a) commercial or industrial and  (b) mixed used development.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency is working to release the potential of some of the country's most challenging brownfield sites by levering in private investment and supporting local authorities to develop these sites in a sustainable way. The Government's target is that 60 per cent. of all new housing should be on brownfield land, and all development on previously developed land should be designed to deliver what is needed locally and be in line with local planning requirements. This includes commercial/industrial and mixed used developments, public space and leisure uses, as well as housing.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the recent guidance produced by the Audit Commission for local authorities on the frequency of household waste collections;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance produced by the Audit Commission for local authorities on the frequency of household waste collections.

Rosie Winterton: The Audit Commission does not issue guidance to local authorities on the frequency of local waste collections.

Eco-Towns

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which locations proposed eco-town developments are being considered.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 42WS.

Eco-Towns: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central government funding will be allocated to support specific developments in the eco-town programme; and over what periods.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 42WS. This sets out the funding that we will be making available over the next two years as part of the eco-towns programme, and the continuing Government support that will be available.

Eco-Towns: Public Relations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much expenditure his Department has incurred on  (a) exhibitions and  (b) road shows to promote eco-towns.

John Healey: The eco-towns programme undertook a consultation road show which included a series of exhibitions as part of these events. For the cost of these events I refer the hon. Member to the information on the Department's website published at the time of the Department's 2008-09 Annual Report at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1298507.pdf

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty dwelling management orders each local authority has issued since their inception.

Ian Austin: To date, 27 interim empty dwelling management orders (EDMOs) have been approved by the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) since the legislation came into effect in April 2006. However, local authorities claim that in many cases the threat of an EDMO has been sufficient to make owners take action to bring long-term empty homes back into use.
	We are confident that the legislation is beginning to work well. We always intended that the legislation should be used only as a last resort where other measures have proved unsuccessful. We want to encourage voluntary re-occupation of empty homes but this can only work well where there is realistic compulsion to back them up. EDMOs provide this compulsion and should therefore be a key component of a comprehensive empty property strategy.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of interim EDMOs authorised 
			 Bolton Borough Council 1 
			 Carlisle District Council 2 
			 London Borough of Bromley 1 
			 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1 
			 London Borough of Hounslow 1 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 5 
			 New Forest District Council 1 
			 Norwich City Council 6 
			 Peterborough City Council 2 
			 South Norfolk District Council 1 
			 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 2 
			 South Oxfordshire District Council 1 
			 South Tyneside Borough Council 1 
			 Swale Borough Council 1 
			 Wychavon District Council 1 
			 Total 27

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans there are to increase access by  (a) public sector bodies,  (b) delivery bodies and  (c) industry groups to the Energy Performance Certificate database; and whether a privacy impact assessment was prepared in relation to extending access to the Energy Saving Trust.

John Healey: We will consult on a data sharing strategy later this year. It will set out our proposals for increased access by a range of organisations, including public sector bodies, delivery partners and others, to the data collected through energy performance certificates (EPC) and display energy certificates (DEC).
	A small-scale privacy impact statement was completed by CLG in relation to the sharing of EPC data with the Energy Savings Trust.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedures are used to verify the accuracy of energy performance certificates for existing residential dwellings; and what accreditation schemes are in place.

John Healey: Accreditation schemes are responsible for conducting quality audits of the energy performance certificates (EPCs) produced by the energy assessors (EAs) they accredit in accordance with CLG requirements as set out in the guidance document which can be viewed online at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/319273.pdf
	Accreditation schemes that are in place can be viewed online at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/theenvironment/energyperformance/energyassessment/accreditation/

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement between his Department and the Energy Saving Trust on the use of Energy Performance Certificate data.

John Healey: I have placed a copy of the agreement between Communities and Local Government and the Energy Savings Trust governing the sharing of EPC data available in the Library of the House.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department is the lead Government department for policy formulation on commercial  (a) energy performance certificates and  (b) display energy certificates.

John Healey: The Department is the lead department for policy formulation on all  (a) energy performance certificates and  (b) display energy certificates.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 41 of his Department's publication on the Recast of the energy performance of buildings directive, by what mechanism his Department verifies that at least two per cent. of all energy performance certificates are checked and verified for accuracy by the accreditation bodies.

John Healey: Accreditation schemes are responsible for conducting quality audits of the energy performance certificates (EPCs) produced, and reporting the outcome to CLG in their annual reports. In addition to their reporting requirements, accreditation schemes have been subject to an external audit to assess their compliance with the terms of their approval. Annual reports can be viewed online at the following address:
	https://www.ndepcregister.com/schemeAnnualReports.html

English Partnerships: Homes and Communities Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial adjustments were made to the land assets of English Partnerships when they were transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency.

John Healey: Since its launch on 1 December, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has operated a single accounting policy, which harmonised the policies of its various predecessor bodies, namely: English Partnerships (EP consisting of the Commission for New Towns (CNT) and the Urban Regeneration Agency (URA)), the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities.
	Since its creation, the HCA carries development assets at market value. Before the creation of HCA, development assets were carried at the lower of cost (at time of purchase/transfer) and estimated market value in CNT, and at the lower of current replacement cost and net realisable value in URA. As a result of this, the following accounting policy valuation adjustments were made at the point of transfer of these assets from EP to the HCA, set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Land development assets  (so excluding other assets such as debtors) 
			   (£ million) 
			   English Partnerships  Commission for New Towns  Urban  Regeneration Agency 
			 Net assets at time of merger 703 222 481 
			 Accounting policy adjustments 394 384 10 
			 Restated net assets at time of merger 1097 606 491

Financial Dynamics

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 304W, on departmental procurement, what the purpose was of the payments made to Financial Dynamics; and what subsequent payments have been made to the company.

Barbara Follett: The payments made to Financial Dynamics in the financial year 2007-08 were for advertising and publicity services. A subsequent payment of £5,816 was made in September 2008 for conference set-up costs.

Floods and Water Bill

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities will receive additional funding to pay for the new responsibilities set out in the Floods and Water Bill if that Bill is enacted.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have undertaken to ensure that all net new burdens on local government arising from the implementation of the draft Flood and Water Management Bill are fully funded.

Government Office for London

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much programme expenditure was paid via the Government Office for London in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the administrative cost of the Government Office for London was during that period.

Rosie Winterton: The total programme expenditure for the financial year 2008-09 for the Government Office for London was £148,373,713.
	The total administrative costs for the financial year 2008-09 for the Government Office for London was £15,871,409.

Government Offices for the Regions: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much programme expenditure was managed by the Government Office for each region in the latest 12 months for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Julia Goldsworthy) on 6 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2781W.

Government Offices for the Regions: Mass Media

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 249-50W, for what reasons media monitoring services were contracted by or on behalf of each Government Office for the Regions which used them in each of the three years; and which companies provided the services used by each such office in each of the three years.

Rosie Winterton: In the past, a number of Government offices have taken media monitoring contracts to ensure we can monitor and respond to issues and concerns of residents in the region, and to help inform our role in working with places-both to challenge and support their delivery for their residents, and to monitor and feedback to Whitehall Departments.
	Local means of doing this have varied between in-house and use of contracted services, but over the last two years the Government office network has driven efficiency savings by taking out a consistent contract for each GO.
	As of this year, there has been one media monitoring contract with TNS Media Monitoring Services which covers the whole network.
	
		
			  Media monitoring providers for Government offices in the last three years 
			  Government office  Year  Provider 
			 GO East. 2006-07 Central Office of Information (COI) 
			  2007-08 TNS Media Monitoring Services 
			  2008-09 TNS Media Monitoring Services(1) 
			
			 GO North East 2006-07 COI 
			  2007-08 COI 
			  2008-09 TNS Media Monitoring Services(1) 
			
			 GO London 2006-09 Meltwater News 
			
			 GOYH 2006-07 No record kept locally 
			  2007-08 COI 
			  2008-09 TNS Media Monitoring Services(1) 
			
			 GOEM 2008-09 TNS Media Monitoring Services(1) 
			
			 GOSW 2006-07 COI 
			  2007-08 COI 
			  2008-09 Meltwater News 
			
			 GONW 2008-09 TNS Media Monitoring Services(1) 
			 (1) In 2008-09 the network contracted media monitoring services on behalf of five Government offices.

Government Offices Regional Coordination Unit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the Government Offices Regional Coordination Unit is for 2009-10; how many staff it employs; and what its function is.

Rosie Winterton: The Regional Coordination Unit ceased to exist on 30 April 2009. A new structure, the Government Office Network Centre and Services, came into being on 1 May 2009.
	The Government Office Network Centre and Services provides the Secretariat for the Network Governance Committees, the Council of Regional Ministers provides support for Regional Ministers and the Government's work with regional grand and select committees. It also leads the Network strategy and communications arrangements.
	The running cost budget for Regional Coordination Unit and Government Office Network Centre and Services for 2009-10 is £5.8 million.
	As at 1 October 2009, there are 28.6 full-time equivalent staff working for Government Office Network Centre and Services GONCS. 73.1 full-time equivalent staff have transferred to Department of Communities and Local Government line management.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of  (a) marketing,  (b) public relations,  (c) advertising and  (d) communications expenditure in relation to home information packs to date.

John Healey: For details of all communications expenditure on home information packs prior to the financial year 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 19 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1291W, to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Julia Goldsworthy). For details of all communications expenditure on home information packs in 2008-09, I refer the hon. Member to the information on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1298507.pdf
	published at the time of the Department's 2008-09 Annual Report.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what accreditation schemes for  (a) home information packs and  (b) home condition reports have been notified to his Department.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	 (a) There are no accreditation schemes for home information packs.
	 (b) Home condition reports (HCRs) are produced by Home Inspectors certified by the following Government approved certification schemes:
	BRE (Buildings Research Establishment) Training and Accreditation
	RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Accreditation and Certification
	SAVA (Surveyors and Valuers Accreditation Ltd.) Certification Scheme.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on the home information pack programme since its inception.

John Healey: I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on February 2008,  Official Report, column 1313W. Since then an additional £4,543,432 has been spent on Home Information Packs up to the end of the 2008-09 financial year.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the home condition reports on the Home Condition Register received subsidy in whole or in part from public initiatives to encourage the take-up of home condition reports.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1693W.

Homes and Communities Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role the Homes and Communities Agency has in the regional planning process.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) deploys £5 billion of public investment in housing and regeneration and should therefore be a key participant in the regional planning process.

Homes and Communities Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what framework agreements for the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) Tenants Services Authority are in the process of establishing.

John Healey: The framework document for the Homes and Communities Agency is available to view on their website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/financial_ memorandum
	The framework document for the Tenant Services Authority is available to view on their website at:
	http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/upload/pdf/Framework_document.pdf
	The document was also placed (DEP2009-2275) in the Library of the House on 26 August 2009.

Homes and Communities Agency: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Homes and Communities Agency will spend on property and regeneration in each of the next three years; and how much English Partnerships and associated bodies which were incorporated into the Agency spent on such matters, in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) planned (gross) expenditure on its property and regeneration programme for 2009-10 and 2010-11 is set out in its corporate plan 2009-11, which has been published on its website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/publications
	The figures provided in the plan reflect Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) budgets. Spending plans for 2011-12 fall into the next spending round period and have yet to be determined.
	The HCA was formed from the following predecessor bodies: English Partnerships, the investment arm of the Housing Corporation, and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. The HCA also took over delivery of a number of this Department's programmes, such as Housing Market Renewal, the Growth Areas and the Thames Gateway, which have links with regeneration and housing. The HCA's current 'property and regeneration' spending programme is the successor to the former EP spending programme alone.
	The HCA's published corporate plan provides a DEL spend figure for 2008-09 on 'property and regeneration' for the full 12 month period (on a merger accounting basis). Hence this figure includes within it spend during the first eight months of 2008-09 when the programme was delivered by English Partnerships (EP) prior to the launch of the HCA on 1 December 2008. Final audited spend out-turn for EP on a net DEL basis for 2007-08 and 2006-07 was reported in its published annual accounts available on its website at:
	http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/corporateinformation.htm
	in the financial key performance indicators section (page 63 for 2007-08, and page 61 for 2006-07).

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 813W, on housing, what information his Department holds on the number of newspapers which printed the article by the Minister for Housing and Planning.

John Healey: An article I wrote appeared in a number of local and regional newspapers. The article was made available to newspapers through The Central Office of Information. CLG does not hold a central record of the total number of newspapers the article appeared in.

Housing Associations: Pay

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what records the Homes and Communities Agency holds of levels of remuneration awarded to members of housing association boards.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) does not hold records of levels of remuneration awarded to members of housing association boards.

Housing: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions his Department has had with the Valuation Office Agency on access by the agency to access property data held on the  (a) Home Condition Report and  (b) Energy Performance Certificates registers.

John Healey: We have no record of any such representation by the Valuation Office Agency.

Housing: Energy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the housing and property industry on the extent to which energy performance is reflected in the value of a property.

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government is working with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and other stakeholders on a project to explore the extent to which energy performance is reflected in the value of a property and the effect on the market price of homes as a result of the installation of different energy efficiency and renewable heat and energy technologies.
	This work is due to report at the end of the year.

Housing: Energy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's most recent estimate is of the level of average annual carbon dioxide emissions for a domestic dwelling from heat loss.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest estimate of average CO2 emissions for a domestic dwelling due to energy use for heating the rooms is around two tonnes per year. This is based on data published in 2008 by the Buildings Research Establishment.
	Household energy consumption and the related emissions can be reduced significantly through the installation of basic, low-cost insulation measures to reduce heat loss through the building fabric. For example, energy use for space heating can be reduced by about 25 per cent. through installation of cavity wall insulation.
	Electricity: £10,900.86. The electricity tariff is a 100 per cent. renewable supply.
	Gas: £1,338.59
	Water: £3,616.58
	Disposal of waste: £910.76. 8,217kg of waste was produced in that period, of which, 49.4 per cent. was recycled. The breakdown and record of the cost of the individual waste elements that are sent to landfill, 'energy from waste' or to recycling is not held centrally by DECC and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons local authorities are ineligible for Kickstart Housing Delivery funding.

John Healey: The aim of the Kickstart programme is to unlock stalled sites in England for the development of high-quality, mixed tenure homes. Local authorities are note eligible to apply for funding from the Kickstart Housing Delivery fund as there is a separate funding pot available to authorities to deliver new social housing on land they already own and that can be developed only by them. Where a local authority has appointed a delivery partner, for example through a disposal or development agreement to bring forward a site for housing development, the delivery partner can apply. The successful projects from round one of the local authority new build programme were announced in September. 49 local authorities, covering every region of the country, will receive a share of £130 million Government funding to build over 2,000 homes.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties were available for sale under the  (a) Rent to HomeBuy,  (b) HomeBuy Direct and  (c) New Build HomeBuy scheme in each of the last three months.

John Healey: Information on low cost home ownership completions, April to September 2009, will be released by the Homes and Communities Agency later this year.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on  (a) Rent to HomeBuy,  (b) HomeBuy Direct,  (c) New Build HomeBuy,  (d) MyChoice HomeBuy,  (e) OwnHome,  (f) the First Time Buyers Initiative and  (g) Social HomeBuy in 2009-10.

John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency will publish information on expenditure through the Affordable Housing Programme for 2009-10 after the end of that financial year.

Housing: Low Incomes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) housing associations and  (b) local authorities offer Social Homebuy.

John Healey: 62 housing associations and 10 local authorities currently offer Social Homebuy.

Housing: Low Incomes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many completed Social Homebuy transactions there have been since the introduction of the scheme.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) on 4 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1282-283W; to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 24 March 2009,  Official Report, column 218W; and to the hon. Member on 8 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 446-47W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason the Open Market Homebuy scheme has been closed.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 326W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on the  (a) advertising,  (b) marketing and  (c) publicising of Open Market Homebuy since the scheme's inception.

John Healey: The Department has conducted no such activity for the specific promotion of open market homebuy.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been sold via  (a) Rent to HomeBuy,  (b) HomeBuy Direct,  (c) New Build HomeBuy,  (d) MyChoice HomeBuy,  (e) OwnHome,  (f) the First Time Buyers Initiative and  (g) Social HomeBuy in 2009-10 to date.

John Healey: holding answer 12 October 2009
	Information on low cost home ownership completions, April to September 2009, will be released by the Homes and Communities Agency later this year.

Housing: Regeneration

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the objectives are of the Home and Community Agency's Single Conversation process.

John Healey: The purpose and function of the single conversation is clearly outlined on the Homes and Communities website. The relevant page can be accessed at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/single conversation.htm

Housing: Sales

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has commissioned into  (a) gazundering and  (b) gazumping in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Reliable information on the incidence of gazumping and gazundering was one of the key aims of the research study Key research on easier home buying and selling, DETR 1998.

Housing: Surveys

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of the recent survey by the Tenant Services Authority on attitudes to  (a) home ownership and  (b) renting.

John Healey: The recent results of the Tenant Services Authority's (TSA) survey on attitudes to  (a) home ownership and  (b) renting are contained in a document entitled 'Existing Tenants Survey 2: Landlord Services'. This is currently available to view electronically on the TSA website at:
	http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/nav.14348

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to Cabinet Office guidance on the conduct of the Civil Service during general elections, whether the Infrastructure Planning Commission may submit recommendations to the Secretary of State after the dissolution of Parliament.

John Healey: Once the IPC is able to receive applications for a particular infrastructure sector, the decision making role arising from recommendations from the IPC will become an ongoing function of the Secretary of State.
	Constitutionally, Government continue to carry out its ongoing functions throughout a General Election period. Therefore, the IPC may submit recommendations to the Secretary of State during the period in which Parliament is dissolved.

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to those of its agencies which are subject to section 138 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 in respect of a duty to involve.

Rosie Winterton: Statutory guidance covering the duty to involve was published by my Department in July 2008, entitled Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities. This guidance is available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongsafeprosperous
	My Department has also worked with the Community Development Foundation to produce voluntary guidance on what the duty might look like in practice. This document was published by the Community Development Foundation in April 2009. This guidance is available on the Community Development Foundation website at:
	http://cdf.likecube.com/web/guest/publication?id=20497

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of his Department's agencies required to introduce a duty to involve under section 138 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 have established a mechanism for doing so.

Rosie Winterton: There are no Community and Local Government agencies listed under section 138 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 for the duty to involve.
	The Department is using the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill, presently before Parliament, to extend the duty to involve so that it applies to a number of additional public authorities. These additional authorities include the Homes and Communities Agency, an agency of my Department.

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provisions of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: As part of post legislative scrutiny, Government are required to conduct an impact assessment between three to five years after legislation has come into effect. The Act received Royal Assent on 30 October 2007, so the earliest timeframe for post legislative scrutiny would be 2010.
	An initial impact assessment was carried out for the provisions in the Act, and this can be found on the Communities and Local Government website and in the House Library.

Local Government Information Unit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 246-7W, on the Local Government Information Unit, if he will place in the Library a copy of the completed project report produced by the Local Government Information Unit for his Department.

Barbara Follett: The LGIU report on the role of councillors was commissioned by the independent Councillors Commission to help inform their report. It was not, nor was ever intended to be, published. Instead it provided the Commissioners with information to enable them to fully consider relevant issues relating to the councillor role and to publish their final report 'Representing the Future' in December 2007.

Local Government: Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been given to local authorities on the hiring of public affairs consultants; and whether the communications activities of such consultants are covered by the Code of Conduct on Local Authority Publicity.

Rosie Winterton: The code of recommended practice on local authority publicity, to which councils must have regard, makes provision on the content and style for all publicity funded by the council and about how a council should approach its publicity, including the extent to which expert advice is needed for publicity.

Local Government: Freedom of Information

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local partnerships will be subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Rosie Winterton: Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) are voluntary, non-statutory partnerships made up of members from the public, private and third sectors and centred on a local authority area. LSPs are not listed as a public authority in the FoI Act. However, as they are partnerships, local authority members and possibly other public sector members will be public authorities for the purposes of the FoI Act. Accordingly while an FoI request cannot be made to the LSP, it may be possible to make a FoI request for information on an LSP to public sector members of the LSP.

Local Government: Publicity

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the terms of reference are for the Audit Commission's review of council newspaper advertising; what methodology the Commission is using to conduct the review; and under what timetable he expects the review to take place.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 19 October 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me for reply.
	The Audit Commission is currently considering whether to undertake research on the value for money achieved by council spending on communicating with the public; this could include expenditure on, and income from, information sheets and newsletters.
	The Commission is consulting with stakeholders and considering whether a national study would be warranted and feasible. No decision has yet been made about the scope, methodology or timetable of any work.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Local Government: Publicity

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps the Audit Commission has taken to inquire into the practice of local authorities taking paid advertising to support information sheets.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 19 October 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me for reply.
	The Audit Commission is currently considering whether to undertake research on the value for money achieved by council spending on communicating with the public; this could include expenditure on, and income from, information sheets and newsletters.
	The Commission is consulting with stakeholders and considering whether a national study would be warranted and feasible. No decision has yet been made about the scope, methodology or timetable of any work.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Local Government: Redundancy Pay

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals have submitted responses to the Audit Commission's call for evidence on severance settlements for senior council staff and have not requested that their submissions be treated in confidence.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 19 October 2009:
	Your Parliamentary question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
	Five individuals have submitted responses to the general Call for Evidence and have not requested that their submissions be treated in confidence:
	David Oddie (no organisation given)
	Paul Francis, Kent Messenger Group
	Maxine Thorne, Links Consultancy
	Mike Schofield, Isitfair.co.uk
	Melanie Carter, Bates Wells  Braithwaite
	One further response was submitted under, we presume, a pseudonym of Jez Ebel.
	The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development have also expressed a wish to contribute to the research in a verbal response.
	The following bodies have submitted written responses to a separate letter sent to them by the Audit Commission:
	Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)
	Association of Local Authority Chief Executives (ALACE)
	Association of Local Authority Treasurer's Societies (ALATS)
	Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS)
	The responses to the Call for Evidence will be combined with other evidence and summarised in a report to be published early in 2010.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Local Government: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which data collections from local authorities that were part of the best value performance indicator set and are not part of the national indicator set his Department is continuing to obtain.

Rosie Winterton: Best value performance indicators (BVPIs) were replaced by the new national indicator set on 1 April 2008. However, some of the data used to measure BVPIs forms part of larger data returns, which continue to be collected for uses such as financial management and to inform policy direction. Wherever we have been able to identify such data, the relevant BVPIs are listed in the following tables. In addition, the first table lists 16 former BVPI questions which were included in the new Place Survey in order to provide a balanced questionnaire and maximise the response rate; and the second table lists seven fire and rescue service BVPIs which are not collected directly but are available to CLG through the joint FRS/CLG incident recording system.
	
		
			  Data collected from local authorities 
			  BVPI number  BVPI name 
			 9 Percentage of council tax collected 
			 10 Percentage of non-domestic rates collected 
			 150 Expenditure per head of population 
			 63 Average SAP rating of all HRA dwellings 
			 66a Percentage of rent collected (percentage) 
			 66c Rent written off as not collectable as percentage of LA's rent roll (percentage) 
			 66d Rent collection and arrears recovery: evictions 
			 69 Percentage of rent lost through vacants (percentage) 
			 72 Percentage of urgent repairs completed within Government time limits (percentage) 
			 73 Average time taken to complete non-urgent repairs (days) 
			 202 Number of rough sleepers 
			 212 Average re-let time (days) of HRA stock 
			 106 New homes on previously developed land 
			 200a Plan Making: Development Plan 
			 200b Plan Making: Milestones 
			   
			  Former BVPIs included in the Place Survey  
			 3 Overall satisfaction with council 
			 4 Satisfaction with complaints handling 
			 89 Satisfaction with cleanliness 
			 90a Satisfaction with waste collection 
			 90b Satisfaction with waste recycling (local facilities) 
			 90c Satisfaction with waste disposal (local tips) 
			 103 Satisfaction with transport information 
			 104 Satisfaction with bus services 
			 CPA E14 Satisfaction with transport information-those who have seen information in the last year 
			 CPA E15 Satisfaction with bus services-those who have used the bus service in the last year 
			 119a-e Satisfaction with cultural recreational facilities 
			 119a Sports and leisure facilities 
			 119b Libraries 
			 119c Museums and galleries 
			 119d Theatres and concert halls 
			 119e Parks and open spaces 
		
	
	
		
			  Data collected from fire and rescue authorities 
			  BVPI  number  BVPI name 
			 11a Top 5 per cent. earners: women 
			 11b Top 5 per cent. earner: minority ethnic communities 
			 11c Top 5 per cent. earners: with a disability 
			 12 Working days lost due to sickness absence 
			 13 Voluntary leavers/staff 
			 14 Percentage of early retirements 
			 15 Percentage of ill health retirements 
			 16a Percentage of employees with a disability 
			 17a Percentage of black and ethnic minority employees 
			 146i Calls to malicious false alarms: not attended 
			 146ii Calls to malicious false alarms: attended 
			 144 Accidental dwelling fires confined to room of origin 
			   
			  Available to CLG through the joint FRS/CLG incident recording system  
			 206iii Deliberate fires: secondary (excluding vehicles) 
			 206iv Deliberate fires: secondary (in vehicles) 
			 207 Fires in non-domestic premises 
			 208 Escaping unharmed from accidental dwelling fires 
			 209i Smoke alarms: activated 
			 209ii Smoke alarms: not activated 
			 209iii Smoke alarms: none fitted

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to increase public awareness of measures to assist homeowners with mortgage repayments.

John Healey: The Department launched the new Mortgage Help communications campaign on 8 September 2009, specifically aimed at homeowners who are concerned about their mortgage payments. Advertising directs concerned homeowners to the campaign website
	www.direct.gov.uk/mortgagehelp
	for tailored advice on the steps they can take to keep their home. This includes sources of help and protection available through government schemes. Advertising also directs concerned homeowners to the help available through the campaign's money advice partners, which include the National Debtline, CAB, CCCS and Shelter.
	The campaign highlights that more than 300,000 households have received help and advice with their mortgage since April 2008.
	Local press and outdoor advertising is appearing initially in 22 areas which are at higher risk of repossessions, as calculated by court order data and rises in claims for job seekers allowance.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many households in each Government Office Region have received financial support from the Preventing Repossession Fund since its inception;
	(2)  how many households have received financial support from the Repossessions Prevention Fund.

John Healey: The £20 million Preventing Repossessions Fund was announced by the Chancellor in the Budget to enable local authorities to offer small loans to families at risk of homelessness through repossession or eviction. This forms part of the range of assistance that has been put in place at every stage to help households struggling to pay their mortgage. Information about the number of households who have received a payment from the fund will be published later this year.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 8 September 2009, on support for homeowners, what forms of advertising were used; and what the cost was of that advertising.

John Healey: The Mortgage Help campaign is being promoted through national and local press, digital advertising, digital search and outdoor media. The campaign is still running and final costs are not yet available. The Department will publish a breakdown of campaign costs at the time of its next annual report.

National Policy Statements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 5 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1435-6W, on national policy statements, what the latest timetable is for the  (a) draft publication of,  (b) consultation on and  (c) designation of the first tranche of National Policy Statements.

John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government published an update to the Route Map for implementation of the Infrastructure Planning Commission regime, including the timetable for preparation of National Policy Statements, on its website on Tuesday 14 July 2009. Copies are also in the Library of the House.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what effect the rate of retail price index inflation of minus 1.4 per cent. will have on the level of business rates from April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1131.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments on the Rating List in England had a SCAT Code of 442 according to records held by the Valuation Office Agency in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The number of hereditaments in England with a SCAT Code of 442 (Takeaway Food Outlets) as at the appropriate dates is as follows:
	
		
			  As at 1 April:  Number 
			 2005 1,590 
			 2006 1,883 
			 2007 2,045 
			 2008 2,206 
			 2009 2,356

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his latest estimate is of the percentage change in rateable values between  (a) the 2005 and  (b) the 2010 draft rating list for each special category code, according to records held by the Valuation Office Agency.

Barbara Follett: I have placed a table of estimates of the percentage change in rateable values, by special category code, between the 2005 rating list and the 2010 draft rating list, as at 29 May 2009, in the Library of the House. These data are consistent with the consultation document titled: The Transitional Arrangements for the Non-Domestic Rating Revaluation 2010 in England, published on 8 July 2009. A copy of the consultation document is available at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/nndrrevaluation2010
	An updated draft list will be available for this type of analysis shortly.

Non-Domestic Rates: Renewable Energy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's guidance on the rating of  (a) microgeneration wind turbines,  (b) solar voltaic cells and  (c) ground source heat pumps for the 2010 business rates revaluation;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 589W, on non-domestic rates: microgeneration, whether the 2010 rates revaluation will result in an increase in rateable values on properties in which microgeneration equipment was installed between 2008 and April 2010.

Barbara Follett: Microgeneration plant and machinery, including micro wind turbines and small-scale solar or photovoltaic cells, installed on or before 31 March 2010 are, in principle, liable to be included in the rateable values of properties for the 2010 revaluation. However, the Valuation Office Agency has no evidence that any of these are of sufficient value to, in practice, affect the rateable values of properties. Its advice on the rating of  (a) microgeneration wind turbines,  (b) solar voltaic cells and  (c) ground source heat pumps is available in the Rating Manual on the Valuation Office's website at Volume 4 Section 3 Practice Note 8:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/inslructions/chapters/rating_manual/vol4/sect3/frame.htm

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons a privacy impact assessment has not been undertaken in relation to the 2010 business rates revaluation.

Barbara Follett: A privacy impact assessment has not been undertaken for revaluation 2010. This is because the business rates revaluation applies only to non-domestic properties and does not represent a genuine risk to the privacy of the individual.

North East Economic Forum

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the North East Regional Assembly and its successor body has provided to the North East Economic Forum.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has provided no direct funding to the North East Economic Forum. We can confirm that neither the North East Assembly nor its successor body have made any payments to the North East Economic Forum.
	Since its establishment in 2005, the North East Economic Forum has received £155,190.44 from One North East to support its activities. This funding has supported costs associated with three major regional conferences and a number of associated events.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to make further revisions to Planning Policy Statement PPS1.

John Healey: No review of Planning Policy Statement 1, 'Delivering Sustainable Development' has yet been programmed.

Property Codes Compliance Board

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding from the public purse has been given to the  (a) Property Codes Compliance Board and  (b) Property Ombudsman in the last 12 months.

John Healey: None.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the name and address is of each regional planning body in England; and what the timetable is for regional development agencies to become the regional planning bodies.

Ian Austin: The current name and address for each regional planning body in England is given in the following table. There are no proposals for regional development agencies to become regional planning bodies.
	
		
			  Name of regional planning body  Address 
			 North East Planning body c/o Association North East councils, The Axis Building, Maingate, Kingsway North, Team Valley, Gateshead, NE11 0NQ 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Joint Regional board c/o Local government Yorkshire and Humber, 18 King Street, Wakefield, WF1 2SQ 
			 East of England Regional Assembly Flempton House, Flempton, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6EG 
			 East Midlands Regional Assembly Phoenix House, Nottingham Road, Melton Mowbray, Leics, LE13 0UL 
			 North West Regional Leaders' Forum c/o 4NW, Wigan Investment Centre, Waterside Drive, Wigan, WN3 5BA 
			 South East England Partnership Board Berkley House, Cross Lanes, Guildford, GUI 1UN 
			 South West Strategic Leaders' Board c/o South West Councils, Dennett House, 11 Middle Street Taunton, TA1 1SH 
			 West Midlands Regional Assembly Regional Partnership Centre, 3rd Floor, Albert House, Quay Place, 92-93 Edward Street, Birmingham, B1 2RA

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which areas are receiving reductions in their Growth Point funding compared to original anticipated allocations in the latest period for which allocations have been determined.

John Healey: The Government published a consultation paper on 2 October which seeks views on its proposed approach to making changes to the Growth Fund capital funding allocations in 2010-11. This includes options for consideration which might alter the Government's proposed approach for reducing allocations. I aim to publish our response to the consultation and revised funding allocations for 2010-11 within four weeks of the close of the consultation. The deadline for submitting comments is 13 November.

Regional Planning and Development: Green Belt

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which local authorities proposals have been made for green belt reviews in each of the most recent regional spatial strategies.

Ian Austin: Regional spatial strategies (RSS) do not express any planning policies which refer to specific sites (local authority areas); they identify broad locations, which may be located in a local authority area or cross a number of local authority boundaries.
	Current RSS are recommending green belt reviews as follows:
	 North East
	No specific proposals.
	 North West
	Policy RDF4 allows for potential green belt changes associated with expansion of Manchester and Liverpool airports and a multi-modal freight proposal at Newton le Willows.
	 Yorkshire and Humber
	Policy YH9 confirms that the extent of green belt should not change, but that green belt round York needs defining. Specific mention is also made of a potential need for strategic review of the West Yorkshire green belt, which extends into Leeds, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees.
	 West Midlands
	The Secretary of State is currently considering the recommendations of the independent panel report.
	 East Midlands
	The principle of the Nottingham-Derby and Burton-Swadlincote green belts will be retained. However a comprehensive review of the most sustainable locations for growth within Nottingham Core Housing Market Area and Hucknall will be required urgently to consider how to accommodate future growth requirements over at least the next 25 years. As this may include considering locations within the green belt, when implementing this review through their local development documents.
	 East of England
	Local review of green belt in Broxbourne, and that strategic reviews of green belt boundaries to meet regional development needs are needed in:
	Stevenge, including land in North Hertfordshire;
	Harlow, including land in East Hertfordshire and Epping Forest; and
	Luton/Dunstanble/Houghton Regis and Leighton Linslade.
	 South East
	Policy SP5 the existing broad extent of green belts in the region is appropriate however, in order to meet regional development needs in the most sustainable locations, selective reviews of green belt boundaries are required:
	in metropolitan green belt to the north east of Guildford, and possibly to the south of Woking, and
	in the Oxford green belt to the south of the city.
	In addition, a boundary review will be required in the area of the former DERA site at Chertsey.
	Smaller scale local reviews are likely to be required in other locations, including around Redhill-Reigate, and these should be pursued through the Local Development Framework process.
	 South West
	Following consideration of the recommendations of the independent panel that considered the draft RSS, the Secretary of State published her proposed changes to the RSS in July 2008. These include proposals to revise the general extent of the Bristol and Bath, Gloucester and Cheltenham and South East Dorset green belts to accommodate urban extensions as part of the most sustainable solution for delivering housing and other development. Changes are also proposed to the general extent of the Bristol and Bath green belt to provide for regionally significant development at Bristol International airport and the port of Bristol, and to the South East Dorset green belt to provide for development at Bournemouth airport.
	 London
	The published London plan, February 2008 (consolidated with alterations since 2004) do not propose any changes to the London green belt.

Shelter: Eco-Towns

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Minister in his Department approved payments from his Department to Shelter for the production of publications about the housing situation in and around potential eco-town locations.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 20 November 2008,  Official Report, column 761W.

Shelter: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department is making available to Shelter as part of the money advice partnership scheme.

John Healey: Communities and Local Government has provided up to £1.4 million of funding to Shelter for money advice services in 2009-10 to support delivery of Homeowners Mortgage Support and the Mortgage Rescue Scheme. In addition, we have provided £1.77 million to fund the National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) in 2009-10, a partnership between Shelter and the Citizens Advice Bureaux which provides specialist advice on homelessness prevention.

Social Rented Housing: Rents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the increase in rents in  (a) council housing and  (b) housing association social housing predicted over each of the next three years as part of his Department's Target Rent Scheme.

Ian Austin: Social rents are expected to rise in accordance with the rent restructuring formula, which allows for an average annual increase of RPI plus 0.5 per cent., with RPI set at the end of September in the year preceding. We do not have specific estimates for increases over the next three years.
	The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) regulates registered social landlords (RSLs) in England to ensure that they provide decent homes and services for tenants. To protect tenants, TSA regulation places a limit on the maximum amount by which rents can rise each year. Rent can be increased by a maximum of RPI plus 0.5 per cent., plus £2 per week for individual rents that are below target levels.
	In July, as part of a consultation on draft directions to the Tenant Services Authority, the Government published proposals relating to the regulation of rents set by registered social landlords after 1 April 2010. These proposals are based on a continuation of the rent restructuring policy set out in the document 'Guide to Social Rent Reforms' which was published by the Government in March 2001. The consultation paper is available via the Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/tsadirections
	The Department intends to publish the final directions shortly.

Social Rented Housing: Sustainable Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities are not eligible to apply for funding from the Local Authority Challenge Fund.

John Healey: All English local authorities with a housing function are able to bid, and apply for funding to build new council homes. County councils are therefore the only local authorities who cannot bid for funding under this programme. Bidders need to pre-qualify as investment partners with the Homes and Communities Agency before grant can be awarded.

Standards Board for England

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of the Standards Board for England was for the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The 2008-09 annual report and accounts for the Standards Board for England, available on the Standards Board's website at:
	www.standardsforengland.gov.uk
	shows the Standards Board for England cost the Government, through grant in aid, £8,285,000 for that year.

Standards Board for England: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of  (a) the Standards Board for England and  (b) the Adjudication Panel was in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Rosie Winterton: As stated in table 2 of the Standards Board for England's corporate plan for 2009-12, 'The changing role of the Standards Board for England', available on their website at:
	www.standardsforengland.gov.uk
	the planned budget for the Standards Board is £7,420,000 in 2009-10 and £7,372,000 in 2010-11.
	Responsibility for the Adjudication Panel for England rests with the Ministry of Justice.

Standards for England

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of the re-branding of the Standards Board for England as Standards for England.

Rosie Winterton: The rebranding, which the Standards Board for England decided to undertake and to find from within its budgets of £8,285,000 for 2008-09 and £7,420,000 for 2009-10, cost £43,000.
	These costs arise from a branding and identity review which the board considered necessary given its changed remit, as recommended by the Committee for Standards in Public Life, to become the strategic regulator for council standards committees and from subsequent development of the brand.

Tenant Services Authority

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the performance of the Tenant Services Authority against its objectives since its inception.

John Healey: The TSA are required to produce an Annual Report. I have asked the TSA to demonstrate in this report the extent to which the organisation has met its objectives since its inception. The annual report will be published and laid before Parliament by the end of the year.

Tribal Consulting

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason Tribal Consulting has been employed by his Department to oversee the Total Place initiative; what Tribal's remit is; and what the cost is of the contract.

Rosie Winterton: Tribal Consulting has been employed to work on two contracts for the Total Place initiative.
	The 'Customer Insight' project assesses the use of information on the needs of people by the Total Place pilots. Specifically it asks what sort of information is available, how it is used and does this knowledge change how local services are provided to the public. It will cost £60,000 (excluding VAT).
	The remit of the 'Spend Counting and Deep Dive' is to identify common issues raised by the Total Place pilots and what bearing central Government budgeting has on these, to better understand how the many sources of public sector funding arrive in a local area and to produce an evaluative report on the Total Place initiative. It will cost £218,000 (excluding VAT).

Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the Working Neighbourhoods Fund after 2010-11.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have not determined any arrangements for the Working Neighbourhoods Fund beyond 2010-11.